
oassJETasLS. 

Book._JP_3A__ 
Copyright N?_ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




L. L. PICKETT. 



THE BLESSED HOPE 

OF 

HIS GLORIOUS APPEARING. 

(Tit. 2:13, 14.) 

By Evangelist L. L. PICKETT, 

• Author of sundry books; Editor Bible Truth Library, 
and The King's Herald. 

Introduction by Rev. H. C. Morrison. 



• • • • 

• * • 

• » • 



• • •« »•- » 

• • * » * • < 



'•«• ••• : •; -♦ v * 



Price : With portraits, $1.25 ; without, $1.00. 



PICKETT PUBLISHING CO., 
LOUISVILLE, KY. GREENVILLE, TEX. 

1901. 



IPs* 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

T*o Coders Receive© 

JUL. 22 1901 

Copyright entry 

CLASS Q-XXc N* 

COPY B. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1901, 

By Pickett Pttbljshing Company, 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



i •• • »« • 



MY FOREWORD, 



No greater subject can engage us than the one 
herein discussed. On His' glorious appearing the 
ages focus, the Scriptures conveTge, the hopes of 
His people center. To this the prophets point; 
Peter says they all spoke of it (Acts 3:21.) The 
apostles and early Christians wrote, preached, sung 
and prayed much with reference to it. The bap- 
tized heathenism of the dark ages discarded the 
hope of his coming and kingdom in the interest of 
a tiara-crowned usurper, who, in the temple of God, 
showed himself off as God. Many good people yet 
discount it. But, thank God, interest is quicken- 
ing, saints are awaking, and faith revives at the 
happy thought, "His coming draweth nigh." 

The writer has tried in these pages to stick to 
the Word, knowing that within its lines we are 
safe. I have ventured to suggest some things a 
little out of the line of ordinary writing upon the 
subject. On these points I do not wish to appear 
dogmatic. I have endeavored to answer some 
queries from many sources. It is to be hoped this 
department will prove helpful. In some instances 
another translation has been used in preference to 
the King James, because the meaning seems to be 
more clearly brought out. Let the reader who dif- 
fers with the writer join me in prayer that we may 
both be ready when He comes. There will be found 
some repetition. The writer is not unmindful of 



iv The Blessed Hope. 

this fact, but feels that the truths emphasized 
thereby justify it. 

Those who accept the views herein presented 
should beware, as does the writer, of date -setting. 
The tendency with fresh converts to this blessed 
truth is to begin setting the time for the glorious 
event. This is without warrant, and in the end has 
wrecked the faith of many in the doctrine, 

A preacher friend recently said: "Bro. Pickett, 
how do you justify your interest in this question, 
and your views as to the coming, in the light of 
Christ's own statement, 'Of that day and hour 
knoweth no man?' " I replied: "Amen. That is 
the foundation of my interest. Since we do not 
know the day or the hour, it may be to-night. So 
I am urging men to be ready now." That was the 
purpose of the Master's remark. He did not mean 
to destroy our interest in the great event, but rather 
to quicken and intensify expectancy, and to urge 
constant readiness. Post-millennialism deadens in- 
terest in His parousia by putting it a millennium 
beyond our day, thus making it certain we will not 
live to see it. A sinner who feels he cannot be 
saved, gives himself up to deeper wickedness; a 
Christian convinced by his theology that a holy life 
is impossible, decries experimental sanctification; 
post-millenarians, by putting the advent of Jesus 
more than a thousand years beyond us, are but 
increasing the army of scoffers who walk after their 
own lusts and defiantly ask, "Where is the promise 
of His coming?" testifying, nevertheless, to the 
falsity of the post-millennial promise of the world's 
early conversion by declaring, "All things continue 



My Foreword. 



as they were from the beginning. '' But such delu- 
sions shall vanish some day in the white light of 
the King's descending glory. Speed the day, O 
blessed Redeemer. 

If you find this book helpful, put it in the hands 
of others. 

The time is short, the hours speed by, 
The Master's glory lights the sky 

And soon o'er earth shall break; 
The trumpet sounds, His dead arise, 
His glory lights the vaulted skies, 

O church of God awake! 

The winds swoop down, the billows foam, 
His sleepers hear His call, "Come home," 

And rise with shouts to go! 
Alarmed! the slothful sadly say, 
"The Judge appears, and judgment day, 

To us the day of woe." 

Awake, my friend, awake the bride, 
The hour draws near when, at His side, 

The Bridegroom she shall greet; 
The army of the sky attends 
The wedding, as the Bridegroom's friends, 

Those nuptials, O, how sweet! 

Header, to you this call is sent. 

The day now dawns, the night is spent, 

The time draws very nigh; 
Arouse, prepare, no more delay, 
The trumpet peals, "Away, away." 

Shall you be there? Shall I? 

L. L. Pickett, 

Wilmore, Ky., March 14, 1901. 



Introduction. 

There recently appeared in our American liter- 
ature a little book with the title, "In His Steps;" 
or, "What Would Jesus Do?" The book, from a 
literary point of view, is rather commonplace. 
There is not a gem in it, so far as fine composition 
is concerned. The plot of the story is nothing 
above the very ordinary, and yet in a short while 
after the book had come from the press, a half- 
million copies were in the hands of eager readers, 
both in this country and in England. Do you ask 
for an explanation of the remarkable popularity of 
the book ? The answer is, because it brings men into 
close touch with the Christ. It ignores all creeds, 
it recognizes no sort of denominational prejudice, 
but looks at the whole of religion from the prac- 
tical standpoint, indicated in the title, "What 
Would Jesus Do?" In the midst of the confusion 
and strife of the times in which we live, with all 
the greed and oppression there is in the world, and 
the worldliness and fashion there is in the church, 
there is one hopeful sign, men are less interested 
in creeds and more interested in Jesus Christ than 
ever before in the history of Christendom. It is a 
fulfillment of that saying of our Lord, "And I, if 
I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." 

It is not strange that there should at such a time 
be a widespread awakening of interest in the sec- 
ond coming of Christ into the world. Christ most 
positively promised that He would come. The 
angels promised that He would come. The Apos- 
tles promised that He would come. 

We might expect that while the churches are 
busy formulating creeds, and building up partition 



Introduction. vii 



walls of denominational prejudice, that the doctrine 
of Christ's return to the earth would be largely lost 
sight of. 

But with loss of interest in creeds, and the pass- 
ing away of prejudices, and the revival of love for 
Christ and fellow-men, there will logically be re- 
vived an interest in the coming of our Lord. If we 
love Him, we will read with delight the promise of 
His coming, and like the beloved John, we will find 
our hearts responding to His promise, "Surely I 
come quickly.''' "Even so, come Lord Jesus.'' 

Rev. L. L. Pickett is an intense man. He will be 
remembered in this world, long after he has gone 
to a better one, as a prolific writer, and earnest dis- 
tributor of religious books, especially of that class 
of books that call attention to the higher and better 
things of religious experience. 

He gives us here a book on the second coming of 
our Lord. It will prove interesting, instructive, 
and of spiritual help to the reader. 

Bro. Pickett does not demand that the reader 
shall accept and indorse every statement contained 
in the book, but he does ask for it a thoughtful and 
prayerful reading. To love Christ, to serve Him, 
and to long for His appearing, can but bring bless- 
ing to the soul. 

I bespeak for this book a wide reading, and join 
my prayer with that of the author, that it may 
prove a blessing to many thousands of readers, 
stirring up their hearts to be clothed with their 
wedding garments, and to WATCH for the coming 
of their LORD. Fraternally, 

H. C. Morrison. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



My Foreword iii 

Introduction vi 

Chapter I.— What We Teach 9 

Chapter II. — The Coming" Personal 14 

Chapter III.— No Millennium Till Christ Comes 24 

Chapter IV.— "We Will Bring- the World to Christ". . . 48 

Chapter V.— The Great Tribulation 68 

Chapter VI. — The Resurrections 79 

Chapter VII. — Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter 89 

Chapter VIII. — The Translation and the Rapture 110 

Chapter IX.— The Antichrist 119 

Chapter X. — The Dispensations 130 

Chapter XI. — The Sixth Dispensation, or the Millen- 
nium 141 

Chapter XII.— The Kingdom 147 

Chapter XIII. — The Kingdom — Continued 165 

Chapter XIV.— The Renewed Earth 170 

Chapter XV. — Some Uninspired Witnesses 188 

Chapter XVI. — The Jews, Peculiar, Chosen, Scattered. 201 

Chapter XVII.— The Jews to Be Restored 210 

Chapter XVIII.— The Jews to Be Converted 218 

Chapter XIX. — The Jews Blessed and Made a Blessing. . 227 

Chapter XX.— Prophecy Twofold 236 

Chapter XXI. — Relation of His Coming to Other Ques- 
tions 250 

Chapter XXII.— The Coming and Holiness 262 

Chapter XXIII.— Signs of His Coming 269 

^Chapter XXIV. — Question Department 291 

Appendix A 335 

Appendix B 348 

Appendix C 365 



THE BLESSED HOPE. 



What We Teach. 



CHAPTER I. 

Below is an outline of the teachings which we 
shall attempt to more fully set forth in the follow- 
ing pages. 

(1). The coming of Christ is Personal, visible 
and majestic. His promised appearing is not ful- 
filled in death, divine judgments, spiritual manifes- 
tations, or in any other figurative manner. 

(2). Till His return the world will continue in sin, 
only a few of its multitudes becoming religious, 
that is, spiritually minded Christians and godly in 
their lives. 

(3). At His appearing the holy dead will be raised 
to greet and reign with Him. The remainder of 
the dead will continue in their graves for a thou- 
sand years, that is, till the Judgment of the Great 
White Throne. The holy living, being translated, 
will be caught up to meet their Lord in the air, 
along with the saints from among the dead. The 
translated and resurrected saints will reign with 
Him over the nations of those who yet remain in 
the flesh. This will continue for a thousand years, 
and is what is commonly called the Millennium, 
though it is far from being a period of world-wide 
holiness, such as men commonly expect of it. 



10 Tfie Blessed Hope. 

(4). While Christ and His bride are in the mar- 
riage ceremonies in mid-heavens, the earth will be 
turned over to the mercies of Satan, and will suffer 
the greatest tribulation in its entire history. Still 
it will not be utterly depopulated, as men some- 
times teach. While multitudes will perish, many 
of them in their sins, others will live through this 
fearful period, being subjects, over which Christ 
and His holy ones shall reign. Thus, during the 
thousand years, there will be two distinct classes 
on earth. The immortals, who are the reigning 
ones, dwelling with Jesus in the Beloved City as 
kings and priests, and the mortals, who constitute 
the subject class, being yet in the flesh. 

(5). During the thousand years, with Christ and 
His saints reigning at Jerusalem, the Jews, having 
accepted Him at His return, being restored to the 
land of their fathers, will be happy, contented and 
prosperous. They will be used of Him in pro- 
moting His knowledge and glory among other na- 
tions. Palestine will blossom as the rose. Its vil- 
lages shall become cities, and as a nation the Jews 
shall have great splendor, riches and honor, 
Among the nations of the earth the masses will be 
faithful and true, spiritual and godly, but many 
will yield but a feigned obedience to the King. 
,Satan, having been bound at the close of the rap- 
ture, and the beginning of the reign, will no longer 
disturb and deceive men, and yet those in the flesh 
will be carnal, and consequently will need regen- 
eration. Many will refuse this, pleading their 
morality and rejecting salvation, as men often do 
to day. After a hundred years of opportunity^ 



What We Teach. 11 



these will be cut off under the curse of God (Isa. 
65:20). Divine judgment will be executed over the 
nations of those in the flesh, their sins reproved, 
their wrongs righted, holy laws administered and 
just statutes enforced (Zech. 14:12-18), by means of 
which evil will be driven from the earth, or kept in 
hiding. The result will be a glorious era of phys- 
ical, spiritual, social and intellectual progress. 
Life will be so lengthened that "the child shall die 
an hundred years old." Yet, with all these glori- 
ous advantages, constituting an era far surpassing 
anything known since the fall, men will be vacil- 
lating and weak, and many of them will prove un- 
true to God when the hour of temptation shall 
come (Rev. 20:8,9). 

(6). At the close of the Millennium, Satan will be 
loosed, and will instigate another great apostasy 
(Rev. 20:7,8). Those not truly saved will fall away 
and join him in the great rebellion against the gov- 
ernment and authority of Christ. Then is inaugu- 
rated the battle of Gog and Magog. The purpose 
of Satan's release is evidently to test men. It is a 
sifting period. Those not saved by grace and un- 
swervingly devoted to Christ will join the armies 
of Satan in this final insurrection. 

(7). As the armies of the Satanic allies are march- 
ing against the forces of Christ the fire falls from 
heaven, the elements melt with fervent heat, as set 
forth in 2 Peter (3:6-12). Then the dead of all gen- 
erations who were not worthy to participate in the 
first resurrection shall be called forth from land 
and sea, together with those, good and bad, who 
shall have died during the Millennium. The great 



12 The Blessed Hope. 

white throne will appear, and the dead, large and 
small, standing before God, shall be judged. This 
is connected with the coming of Christ, but is at 
the end of the thousand years, rather than at the 
beginning. It is the fulfillment of Matt. 25:31-46. 

(8). This makes an end of sin. Those who have 
proved true to Christ in the final onslaught of the 
enemy shall be transferred into the new heavens 
and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteous- 
ness. They shall constitute its happy, holy and 
deathless inhabitants, being like Adam and Eve be- 
fore the fall, the works of the devil having been 
destroyed (1 Jno. 3:8) and all things restored (Acts 
3:19-21). 

(9). The earth being renovated, restored to its 
pristine purity, so much so that it is called a new 
earth, shall become the site of the kingdom of 
Christ, .which shall endure forever (Dan. 2:44; 
7:13,18,27; Psa. 89:37, and 4, with Luke 1:32,33). 
This is called by Peter, "The times of the restitu- 
tion of all things," or perfect restoration of the 
earth and the race, including man's forfeited do- 
minion. In this perfect kingdom there shall be no 
death (Rev. 21:4; 22:3-5). From thence Christ 
shall reign, not only over earth, but "every knee 
shall bow to Him, of things in the heavens, and in 
the earth and beneath the earth" (Phil. 2:5-11). All 
of this comes in what is called, "The dispensation 
of the fullness of times" (Eph. 1:10). All things 
head up in Christ (Col. 1:18; 1 Tim. 6:14-16), Who 
is over all God blessed forever. This universal 
sovereignty is accorded our Savior as "the Son of 
man." After the perfect subjugation of all things 



What We Teach. 13 



to Him as man, He will bow the knee to the Father 
with Whom, in His divinity, He was, is, and shall 
ever be, co-equal. Henceforth the man Jesus takes 
a secondary place, and God is all in all (1 Cor. 
15:24-28.) 

This is but an outline which we shall endeavor to 
develop and sustain in this book. 



14 The Blessed Hope. 



The Coming- Personal. 



CHAPTER II. 

Will Jesus return to this earth in person and reign 
upon it? or is there to be expected only a spiritual 
subjugation of the race to His sovereignty, by such 
agencies as are now employed, and have character- 
ized the gospel dispensation? 

I. AS MEN HAVE IT. 

It is remarkable how men have dealt with these 
questions. Imagination has been allowed full 
sway. Some have conjured up any number of sub- 
stitutes for the personal individual return and 
reign of Jesus Christ. They have sought the ful- 
fillment of the promises of His appearing in the 
Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit, and other 
great religious upheavals. Some have located it 
in the destruction of Jerusalem and the judgments 
of God upon the Jews. Others have insisted that 
it is simply death; that when any one passes into 
the turbid waters of the mystic river Christ has 
come. We object to all such man-made substitutes 
for the Scriptural teaching concerning "The 
Blessed Hope. 9 ' Let us briefly examine a few of 
these human theories. 

(1). The outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. This 
cannot be the fulfillment, because His coming was 
spoken of as future in the Epistles and the Apoca- 



The Coming Personal. 15 

lypse, and these were written long after Pentecost. 
Then again. His coming is visible, as set forth in 
many of the Scriptures; but the Spirit, as poured 
upon the suppliant congregation, is invisible. We 
are aware that at Pentecost tongues of fire were 
seen upon the heads of the apostles, but this was 
not the Spirit Himself, but simply a manifestation 
of His presence, nor was this ever after repeated. 

(2). Nor are the promises of His coming fulfilled in 
the destruction of Jerusalem, (a) It is the Christ of 
God for whom we look, and not the heathen armies 
of a cruel and despotic people, (b) His coming is 
for all; it is world-wide in its scope. But this vis- 
itation of judgment was only upon the Jews. 
(c) His coming renovates the world, renews all 
things. The armies of Rome left Jerusalem in 
ashes and blood, in sorrow and desolation, (d) His 
coming is a blessed hope; a source of joy and glad- 
ness, comfort and consolation. But the armies of 
Rome brought terror and dismay, sorrow and suf- 
fering, blood and bankruptcy to the once honored 
but then God-forsaken people of Jerusalem. 

(3). Nor are the promises of His coming fulfilled in 
articulo mortis — in the hour and article of death. 
Millions of his saints "have fallen on sleep," and 
myriads of sinners have gone down beneath the 
ravages of death; but Christ remains at the Fath- 
ers right hand — His coming awaits fulfillment, 
(a) Death is no object of hope. It has well been 
called "the grim monster." Paul calls it an enemy, 
which he says is the last to be destroyed by the 
conquering Hero of Calvary (1 Cor. 15 :26). (b) Christ 
shall come as the lightning shining from the East 



16 TJie Blessed Hope. 

to the West (Luke 17:24). Death slips in as a se- 
cret and relentless foe. (c) Jesus comes to earth 
once for all; the visitations of death are innumera- 
ble. He passes up and down the earth, sowing 
tears and suffering in countless homes. The weeds 
of mourning in a home circle are scarcely cast 
aside till lo! he comes again, leaving the ranks 
broken and his victim to decay and undergo phys- 
ical dissolution, despite weeping friends who, with 
broken hearts, are powerless to aid. (d) It is not 
said in the Scriptures that Christ ever came for 
any one at death. The angels convoyed Lazarus 
from his rags and sorrows to Abraham's bosom. 
As Stephen fell asleep beneath a shower of stones, 
his fading vision caught the last gleams of things 
earthly, and then to him was granted to behold the 
Son of man, not coming in the clouds with power 
and great glory, but seated at the Father's right 
hand. As David said concerning his child, I shall 
go to him, he cannot come to me, so may the dying 
saint, who passes from scenes of earth before 
Christ returns, say of His Lord, (e) His coming is 
attended by world-shaking, heaven-melting phe- 
nomena. Death frequently does his work undis- 
covered by near neighbors, or even inmates of the 
same house, till his cruel deed is accomplished. 
(f) When every prop has been knocked from under 
the objectors, they generally rally with, "Oh well, 
it is all the same; when we die He comes for us." 
Not so, by any means. Though millions have died, 
they are not crowned; their souls are beneath the 
Altar, as seen by the beloved Disciple (Rev. 6:9); 
there they are crying to the Lord to avenge them 



The Coming Personal. 17 

of their blood, and this will be done in the day of 
the restoration of all things! The hour of death is 
the time of our humiliation, but the day of His re- 
turn is the morning of our coronation (2 Tim. 4:8; 
1 Pet. 5:4). 

I have long since ceased to prepare for death. 
The Bridegroom's coming is a brighter goal. I 
run my life's train by the time-table of His advent. 
If we remain in the flesh till He come, we may share 
in the rapture with His saints; if death mow us 
down ere He arrives, our hope is that we may share 
with the martyrs in the first resurrection. The: 
following statement from Rev. J. H. Brookes is so 
suitable to our line of argument that we give it 
place: "If those who oppose the doctrine of our 
Lord's premillennial advent have a right to say that 
when He spoke of His coming He meant the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, the Universalist with as, 
much reason may insist that when He spoke of His 
coming to judgment He meant nothing more than, 
the destruction of Jerusalem. If the Post-mille- 
narian has a right to say that His distinct and re- 
peated announcement of His future advent is onljr 
a figurative mode of predicting the manifested 
power of the Spirit in converting the world, the 
Unitarian with no less propriety may claim that 
His distinct and repeated announcement of His 
equality and oneness with the Father is only a fig- 
urative way of stating that He was a good man.. 
If the plain promise, so often given in simple, un- 
adorned language, that He will come back to the 
earth is fulfilled in our death, our mouths are shut 
against the daring impiety of the Rationalist, when 

2 



18 The Blessed Hope. 



he subjects the Sacred Scriptures to the standard 
of human reason, or rather, of human caprice. If 
the coming of Christ ever means the destruction of 
Jerusalem, or the -outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 
or the death of a Christian, or any other event but 
His literal, personal return from the right hand of 
the Father, then His blessed book becomes a mere 
jumble of ambiguous utterances, giving no certain 
sound upon the subjects that most deeply concern 
our welfare. " (Maranatha, pages 60,61.) 

II. AS THE BOOK HAS IT. 

We have seen how men sometimes construe this 
subject. Let us examine the Word. It shall be 
the arbiter of our controversy. No other doctrine 
has such prominence in Sacred writ as Christ's re- 
turn to the earth. It is the burden of the prophets, 
the goal of the hopes, the object of the faith of the 
saints in all ages. The promises, prophecies and 
prayers of the Bible point to His coming with 
power and glory. The armies of the saints in 
prophetic and apostolic times, with upturned gaze 
marched forward constantly listening for the mid- 
night cry, "Behold the Bridegroom cometh." Let 
us examine a few passages of Scripture and con- 
sider the terms used, whether or not they can find 
their fulfillment in spiritual revolutions, the rav- 
ages of heathen armies, or the death of the body. 

(1). The names applied to Jesus in those Scriptures 
ivhich foretell His return are never applied to death or 
other phenomena. "In such an hour as ye think 
not, the Son of man cometh. " ' 'Ye know not what 
hour your Lord doth come/' (Matt. 24:42,44). 



The Coming Personal 19 

"Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when 
He cometh shall find watching." (Luke 12:37). 
Here we are taught that the "Son of man," "your 
Lord," shall come suddenly, and "He" shall have 
a reward for those whom "He" finds watching. 
How could these terms, "your Lord" and "the Son 
of man," and the pronouns, be applied to death, to 
revivals of religion, or to Roman armies? They 
all clearly refer to the Son of God — the coming 
Christ. In 1 Thess. (4:16) it is said, "the Lord 
himself shall descend from heaven." 

(2). As Jesus went into the open heavens from ihe 
Mount of Olives, the two ivhite-robed messengers com- 
forted the bereaved and bewildered disciples as they 
gazed upward, with the soul-reviving promise, "This 
same Jesus shall so come in like manner as ye have 
seen him go." (Acts 1:9-11). He went in His body; 
He went visibly; He went in His own divine-human 
personality. The promise is, He shall, "in like 
manner, return." My heart to-day thrills with the 
hope expressed by the prophet of old: "I shall see 
him, but not now: I shall behold him," but when, 
I know not. It is more than thirty centuries nearer 
than when Balaam felt constrained to utter these 
words, "it is not nigh." (Numb. 24:17). I am 
taught to look for Him daily, and so are you, kind 
reader. 

(3). ih In the clouds.'' We remember that at the 
time of his ascension a "cloud received him out of 
their sight." I fancy this cloud was composed of 
the many saints who "came out of their graves" 
after His resurrection. (Matt. 27:52,53). No doubt 
He carried these risen saints to the skies with Him 



20 The Blessed Hope. 

as an earnest of His victory over death — a sample 
of His work while absent from His Father's house. 
There was doubtless a great stir in the city of the 
King when the risen Son of man approached with 
His first-fruits of the promised restoration of all 
things, and we opine the arches of the gold-paved 
city rang with the thrilling song: 

u Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye 
everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 

"Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, 
the Lord mighty in battle. 

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye 
everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 

"Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the 
King of glory. 5 ' (Ps. 24:7-10). 

The same cloud in which He went up, largely 
augmented at the trumpet blast when He descends, 
shall be seen by the astonished denizens of earth 
(Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; Rev. 1:7). 

(4). ''With His angels" When He left His Fath- 
er's house above He slipped in upon the earth, and 
was first discovered as a Babe in Bethlehem by the 
angels — servants in His Father's house, minister- 
ing spirits in His glory, who doubtless missed Him 
unexpectedly and were astonished to find Him in 
the manger cradle. His method of redemption for 
fallen humanity was a mystery into which they de- 
sired to look. But when He comes again, they will 
be allowed the privilege of attending Him. Their 
services will be to gather the tares from among the 
wheat (Matt. 13:41), and to bring together His elect 
from the four corners of the earth (Matt. 24:31; 
25:31). 

(5). ik With His saints." Enoch, the seventh from 
Adam, declared, ' 'Behold the Lord cometh with 



The Coming Personal. 21 

ten thousands of his saints." We are sure the noble 
prophet will be among them. Enoch walked with 
God for three hundred and sixty years. At the end 
of this time he was so much nearer heaven than 
earth, the Divine Father said to him, "Go home 
with me Enoch. " The holy walker responded to 
the invitation, and when he returns, he will ride on 
a white horse (Rev. 19:14). 

(6). His coming will be no more in lowliness, but in 
grandeur. He will be manifested in "flaming fire," 
taking vengeance on His enemies (2 Thess. 1:6-8). 
To His saints, thrilling the sight! To His enemies, 
fearful the day! 

(7). His coming will have a definite object, directly 
the opposite of death, viz., to raise His sleeping saints. 
They that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him 
(1 Thess. 4:14). "Each in his own order" (rank or 
regiment). "Christ the first-fruits, then they that 
are Christ's at His coming." How different these 
white-clad immortals from the armies of Rome in- 
vesting Jerusalem, or the horrible doings of death! 

(8). His coming is indeed declared to be to restore all 
things (Acts 3:21), not to annihilate them. 

III. In addition to the above, we would prove 
the coming of Christ to be personal, and in His 
body, by the force of the words used in those Scrip- 
tures wherein it is foretold. In Matt. 16:28; 24:30, 
and in other places, the word rendered "coming," 
and which refers to the Master's appearing in the 
clouds, is erchomenon, the root of which, erchomai, 
is defined by Pickering's Lexicon as follows: "To 
come or appear before the public," "to come or ap- 
pear in the flesh." The word epiphaneia, used in 



22 The Blessed Hope. 

2 Thess. 2:8, and in five other places in the New 
Testament, is defined by the same authority as "the 
appearance; or appearance of a person; unex- 
pected coming; advent of Christ, presence." But 
the most common word for the coming of Christ 
and His glorious manifestation is parousia, which is 
said to be used twenty-four times in the New Testa- 
ment. Pickering defines it "presence," "arrival." 
Rev. J. A. Seiss, a very careful writer, declares 
concerning these twenty four uses of this word, 
that every one of them denotes a literal presence 
— a personal advent. Both of these words (epiph- 
aneia and parousia) as strongly and directly de- 
scribe a real, visible and personal coming of Christ 
as any in the Greek language; and when used with 
reference to a person, they cannot mean anything 
but a real presence, an advent of that person. (Last 
Times, page 48). 

Paul expresses joy at the coming [parousia) of 
Stephanus, Portunatus and Achaicus (1 Cor. 16:17); 
and declared himself comforted by the coming 
[parousia) of Titus (2 Cor. 7:6,7). He reproved the 
Corinthians for confessing the weight of his let- 
ters, but denying the force of his presence in the 
body [parousia tou somatos) [2 Cor. 10 :10) . Phanerothe 
(Col. 3:4; 1 John 3:2). This word is defined by 
Pickering, "to make manifest; to expose to view, 
to show, to make public." It is translated, "when 
he shall appear," and "when he shall be manifest- 
ed." From all this we gather the indisputable 
conclusion that the coming of Christ is to be per- 
sonal, visible, manifest. He shall come in His glory, 
bearing the scepter of universal empire, and in His 



The Coning Personal. 23 

retinue shall be clouds of angels and many ten 
thousands of His saints. Glorious hour ! May 
reader and writer be prepared. 



O THE GLORY. 

1 This the rest 'mid earthly turmoil, 

This the balm 'mid all its pain, 
This the joy amid our sorrow, 

Christ is coming back again ; 
Coming surely, coming quickly, 

It is but a little while 
Till we hear his voice so tender, 

Till we see His welcome smile. 

Cho.—O the glory, wondrous glory, 

When our Lord shall come in clouds of angels bright ; 
O the glory, matchless glory, 
How our hearts shall thrill to see the beauteous sight. 

2 He will hush earth's tribulation, 

He will make her wars to cease, 
Bring in everlasting justice, 

Bring in everlasting peace ; 
It is not for death we're waiting, 

But for Him who then will bring 
Life and health and joy and blessing, 

Earth's exalted, holy King. 

3 Tho the world's long night grows darker, 

And His coming seems so late, 
Soon will be a glorious dawning, 

Let us then with patience wait ; 
We are longing, we are listening, 

For His coming from afar, 
O, how we shall love to greet Him, 

Christ, our bright and Morning Star. 

4 If earth's future be so glorious, 

What will then be yours and mine, 
When we bear His blessed image, 

And within His kingdom shine ; 
When with Him for endless ages, 

We shall have the highest place, 
Reigning with Him, one forever, 

Gazing always on His face. 



For music see "Gems," No. ! 



24 The Blessed Hope. 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 



CHAPTER III. 

Post-millennialism busies itself with preaching 
the early conversion of the world by gospel agen- 
cies. If this be true, we certainly have no objec- 
tion to it; if false, no one is benefitted by belief of 
It. Our only authority is the word of God. No 
help can be gained from science; history is incom- 
petent to decide the issue; logic, reason, human 
opinion, learned or unlearned, cannot in the nature 
of the case give us light. God alone knows the 
future, — to Him we must refer every question con- 
cerning things to be. 

The Scriptures do not teach the conversion of all 
men before the coming of Christ. We challenge 
the world to produce one passage in the Bible 
which definitely and clearly promises the regenera- 
tion of the world before the advent of our Lord. 
This regeneration is promised (Matt. 19:28) and the 
time located by Daniel (7:13,14) and Jesus (Luke 
21:27,31) as the time when He comes in the clouds. 

If the teachings of post-millennialists be true, 
there should be at least a few definite, positive, un- 
mistakable Scriptures setting them forth; but there 
is not one; on the other hand, the passages teach- 
ing the continuance of sin to the end of the pres- 
ent dispensation are numerous. "We will classify a 
few of them: 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 25 

(1). Wars and strifes. Such is the word of Christ 
Himself. He tells us there will be "wars and ru- 
mors of wars/' that "nation shall rise against na- 
tion.'' In addition to this, instead of encouraging 
a hope of increasing prosperity for the world, He 
informs us, "There shall be famines, pestilences 
and earthquakes" in many places, even to the end 
(Matt. 24:6,7). 

(2). Backsliding and Laivlessness. 

"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall 
wax cold.-' (Matt. 24:12). 

Abounding wickedness, overflowing all its bor- 
ders and trampling holiness under foot, results in 
extensive falling away from the faith, and this con- 
tinues to the close of the present dispensation. 
Christians must "endure" trial, hardship, tempta- 
tion "to the end" of our age. 

(3). False Prophets. Men who mislead the peo- 
ple; who preach science rather than salvation; his- 
tory rather than holiness; party politics rather than 
personal purity; w T hoseek creature comforts rather 
than Christly character; in short, men who have 
their substitutes for Christ and the gospel of full 
salvation are certainly false prophets. The Master 
asserts that such shall arise and "deceive many" 
(Matt. 24:5,11). 

(4). Signs in the heavens. (Luke 21:25). 

Not only shall there be wickedness and heresy 
among men, with preachers presenting false Christs 
and inventing substitutes for salvation, but there 
shall be extensive apostasy in the church. Not 
only so, but the very heavens shall be in sympathy 
with the general disorder. It was so at the cruci- 



26 The Blessed Hope, 

fixion. When Jesus was dying in agony inflicted 
by the cruelty of men, the earth trembled as with 
an ague, and the sun hid his face — embarrassed at 
the wickedness of the tormentors of our Lord. So, 
when the cup of iniquity is full, and the wrath of 
God is about to break upon those who have reject- 
ed His Son and spurned the gospel of redeeming 
love, the very heavens show their astonishment, 
the sun darkens, the moon turns to blood and the 
very stars loose their moorings. What an awful 
catastrophe, involving not only the earth, but the 
heavens also. As Isaiah puts it, ''The moon shall 
be confounded, and the sun ashamed." (Isa> 24:23). 
These celestial orbs will not be permitted to look 
down in the present dispensation upon a holy, 
happy world. But they shall mourn over its deso- 
lation and shall feel the judgment shock when the 
King comes forth to punish the world for its "in- 
iquity." (Isa. 26:21). 

(5). Distress of Nations. The heavens in mourn- 
ing and the earth in seismic convulsions; the 
governments alarmed and rent by anarchy and 
dissolution; the nations burdened with taxes and 
threatened with wars without and schisms within, 
_ while wasting pestilence, gaunt famine and deso- 
lating disease scourge them on every hand, make 
a sad spectacle, and yet this is the picture of the 
divine painter, intended to represent the state of 
things just preceding His return. While this fear- 
ful condition prevails on the earth and darkness 
and dismay spread over the heavens, the hearts of 
men faint within them for fear. (Luke 21:25,26). 
But the disciples of our Lord are bidden in the very 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 27 

midst of these calamities, ''Look up, and lift up 
your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh" 
(verse 28). This is the time of victory for God's 
saints, the day of their coronation, the period for 
the shout of their triumph, the beginning of their 
eternal joy. Their King is proclaimed earth's sov- 
ereign in the midst of these overwhelming signs of 
dissolution on the earth and this fearful wreck in 
the heavens. Then what? Have we reached the 
end of all things? Nay, verily. It is the day of 
the King's coronation. 

;, So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, 
know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." (Luke 
21:31). 

The objector may reply that these predictions 
are already accomplished, because Christ said, 
"This generation shall not pass till all these things 
be fulfilled." But the word generation (genea, 
Greek) does not necessarily mean the people then 
living. Adam Clarke defines it: "This race, i. e., 
the Jews, shall not cease from being a distinct peo- 
ple. I think it more proper not to restrain its 
meaning to the few years which preceded the de- 
struction of Jerusalem; but to understand it of the 
care taken by Divine Providence, to preserve them 
as a distinct people, and yet to keep them out of 
their own land, and from their temple services. 
(Comment on Matt. 24:34). 

(6). Satan' ] s crop continues to groiv^ Jesus said 
concerning the tares and wheat, "Let both grow 
together until the harvest," at which time He will 
have His harvest men gather the tares from among 
the wheat for their destruction. The harvest time 



28 The Blessed Hojie. 

is defined by the Master Himself to be ' 'the end of 
the world," or more literally rendered, "the con- 
summation of the age." (Sunteleia tou aionos, Matt. 
13 :30, 38-40). This one Scripture is sufficient to set- 
tle all the arguments that may be advanced in a 
lifetime by Whitbyan Millennialists. The tares 
will be here till the end, and they are sown by an 
enemy. They shall only be rooted out and de- 
stroyed at the end of the present dispensation. 
World-wide and everlasting righteousness can only 
be brought in when some disposition is made of the 
tares. Accepting Jesus as authority, we must in- 
evitably conclude that the world will not be con- 
verted till the close of the present order of things 
— till the consummation of the Christian era and 
the inauguration of a new dispensation. 

(7). One taken, another left. (Matt. 24:40,41). 
Who are taken? The holy ones, those who are 
prepared to enter into the marriage supper. Who 
are left? The unholy, the self-confident. They 
work in the same field, grind at the same mill, even 
sleep in the same bed. But while one, arrayed in 
wedding garments, is ready for the marriage sup- 
per of the Lamb, the other, unprepared for the 
glorious event, is left to pass thro the horrors of 
the tribulation. Since some are left, the proof is 
positive that not all are prepared to welcome Him 
at His coming. But the good and the evil are found 
side by side, # like the wheat and tares — growing to- 
gether. 

(8). As in the days of Noah. "As it was in the 
days of Noah," "As it was in the days of Lot," 
"Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 29 

man is revealed."' (Luke 17:26-30). How was it in 
the Noachan period? The world was corrupt, the 
saved were few. How was it in the time of Lot? 
The city was given up to things seDSual, selfish and 
lustful. In both periods the masses were charac- 
terized by selfishness, their carnal desires engaged 
them, and God was not in all their thoughts. Jesus 
says it will be so at His coming. Who has the au- 
thority to deny His statement? 

(9). Unfaithful servants. Peter tells us, "In the 
last days there will come scoffers (literally "mock- 
ers"), walking after their own lusts, and saying, 
Where is the promise of His coming?" (2 Pet. 
3:3,4). Christ speaks of the evil servant who shall 
"say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming," 
the result is this false opinion leads him to smite 
his fellows, to associate with the worldly and the 
ungodly, to "eat and drink with the drunken." 
(See Matt. 24:45-51). 

Such is the end of the mocking servant who, in 
his delusion and selfishness, puts away the thought 
of his Master's return. If such is the fate of mis- 
guided servants, what of the great unwashed world? 

(10). Virgins — wise and foolish. (Matt. 25:1-13). 
The term virgin cannot by any sort of jugglery be 
made to apply to the world, the whole of which 
lieth in the wicked one (1 John 5:19). The foolish 
have been thought by some to represent the un- 
godly, but this cannot be. They had lamps with 
oil in them. According to the Revised Version, 
and other translations, their declaration was, not 
our "lamps are gone out," but they "are going 
out." Along with the rest, they had come forth to 



30 The Blessed Hope. 

meet the Bridegroom (verse 1); a thing which sin- 
ners would not do; for they will in that day call for 
rocks and hills to hide them from His presence. 
(Rev. 6:1Q). Rev. J. A. Seiss, after a clear line of 
argument upon the subject, says: "I conclude that 
this parable has nothing to do with hypocrites, 
tares or wicked ones. It includes none but real 
members of the real church of Christ; that is, real 
subjects of converting grace. Oil is the fixed sym- 
bol of the Holy Spirit To have oil in our lamps, 

then, as Christian confessors, is to be anointed and 
consecrated by the Holy Spirit — to have the unction 
of the Holy One. As all these virgins had oil in 
their lamps and so had real substance in their pro- 
fession, they all had 'tasted of the heavenly gift, 
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.' They 
were all true virgins, subjects of a genuine work 
of grace. They were all alike anxious to meet the 
Bridegroom and to partake of the marriage.*' (The 
Ten Virgins, pages 22,23). From the foregoing 
we conclude that not all of even the converted peo- 
ple will be ready for the Bridegroom when He 
comes. If this be so, the vast bulk of the world, 
hypocrites, unconverted church members, formal- 
ists, legalists of every type, backsliders, and with 
them the vast multitudes of those who have no 
sympathy with Christ and holy things, will be shut 
out from the marriage supper. Instead of the world 
being converted by present agencies, we find a 
large portion of the church unconverted, and living 
far beneath its privilege, and unprepared to respond 
to the midnight cry which tells of the approaching 
Bridegroom. O reader, are you ready noiv ? 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 31 

(11). Ever Imminent. Post-millennialism cannot 
be true, because it puts the coming of Christ at the 
end of a period of world-wide holiness, lasting a 
thousand years. This settles it absolutely so far 
as this generation is concerned. We have not 
reached the beginning of the millennium, and 
hence His advent cannot be in our day if He can 
only return at the end of a thousand years of uni- 
versal salvation. Of what service, then, can be 
the oft recurring exhortation, ''Watch." It were 
foolish to exhort a man who must be in his grave 
within a short period, to be on the alert for an event 
which he knows cannot occur for at least ten cen- 
turies. But the exhortation to be ready and watch- 
ing is one of the most common in the Scriptures. 
"Watch," "Watch" — this pregnant word occurs 
over and over again, and is enforced by the most 
weighty considerations. ' 'Ye know not what hour 
your Lord doth come." "In such an hour as ye 
think not the Son of man cometh." "What I say 
unto you, I say unto all, Watch." (Matt. 24:42,44; 
Mark 13:35,37; Luke 12:40; 21:36). 

Again we hear the Master saying, as if to put a 
premium upon watchfulness, "Blessed are those 
servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find 
watching." (Luke 12:37). In the same chapter He 
pronounces His condemnation upon the slothful 
servant who ceases to watch (verses 45,46), threat- 
ening to "cut him in sunder and appoint him his 
portion with the unbelievers." 

(12). Little faith. Jesus asked the question when 
He spoke of avenging His own elect, which cry day 
and night unto Him, "When the Son of man com- 



32 The Blessed Hope. 

eth shall he find faith upon the earth?'' (Luke 
18:8). If post-millennialism were true and the 
earth should be filled with His glory by the preach- 
ing of the gospel before His coming, He would cer- 
tainly at His appearing find an abundance of faith. 
But He will not. The form of the question implies 
a negative answer. There has been thro the cen- 
turies but little genuine New Testament faith on 
earth; so it is to this day. Now and then a George 
Mueller, a J. Hudson Taylor, or an A. B. Simpson 
arises out of the darkness as a star in the midnight, 
but examples of all-conquering faith are scarce, 
and have been in the whole church period. Thus 
it will continue till He comes. 
(13). Departure from the faith. 

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter 
times some shall depart from the faith, giving- heed to se- 
ducing- spirits, and doctrines of devils. 

"Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience 
seared with a hot iron." (1 Tim. 4:1,2). 

This is a picture of the last day. It is an express 
utterance of the Holy Spirit concerning the apos- 
tasy; it points out the seductive work of infernal 
spirits, and indicates an abundance of hypocritical 
falsehoods. The picture reminds one of the man 
among the tombs, demon-possessed, rather than of 
the same clothed and in his right mind. (Mark 
5:2-15). 

(14). Sound doctrine rejected. Paul bids Timothy 
* 'preach the word, be urgent in season, out of sea- 
son." (2 Tim. 4:3,4). He bids him face the un- 
godly world with reproof, unworthy church mem- 
bers with rebuke, and all alike with pungent ex- 
hortation and sound doctrine. And why? Because 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 33 

4 'the time will come when they will not endure 
sound doctrine." That time has come. Seldom 
can a preacher who emphasizes the great cardinal 
doctrines of the Bible succeed in securing the co- 
oporation of even the Protestant, so-called evan- 
gelical churches in a town or community. The 
mere reformer, the hand-shake and card-signing 
evangelist, can, as a rule, unite the forces; but he 
who emphasizes heart-quaking repentance, thor- 
ough regeneration, the conscious witness of the 
Spirit, a definite, unmistakable experience of en- 
tire sanctification, and the imminence of the Lord's 
coming is, in nine cases out of ten, outlawed in the 
rendezvous of popular churchianity. Wealth more 
than rules many of our city churches, and this fre- 
quently without regard to the character of its pos- 
sessor. Paul's sorrowful declaration, "They shall 
heap to themselves teachers having itching ears; 
and shall turn away their ears from the truth, and 
shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:2-4), is find- 
ing striking fulfillment in many places. Ministers 
and Christian workers who love God truly and be- 
lieve the entire Bible should be very diligent in 
pressing the whole truth upon the consciences 
of all who will hear or who can in any wise be 
reached. 

(15). A dark picture. (2 Tim. 3:1-5). 

Time: The Last Days. 

Subject: Men In the Church and Out. 

Conditions: Perilous. 

Dark is the picture by which the apostle sustains 
this outline. He declares, "Men will be lovers of 
themselves — selfish," "covetous," lovers of money, 

3 



34 The Blessed Hope. 

and there is no crime for which it has not been 
chargeable; ''boasters," this is a coarse, blustering 
form of self-Jaudation; "proud," possessed of great 
self-esteem. Generally the man who has the great- 
est pride has the least reason for it. Boastfulness 
is a mark of littleness. True greatness is humble. 
"Evil speakers/' or blasphemers, as it might be 
Tendered. The unkind utterances of those who 
"have no respect for others and no fear of God is a 
characteristic of the closing days. "Disobedience 
to parents;" some have thought that children 
ought to obey their parents, but this is often re- 
versed, and we find parents obeying their children 
— a sure sign of degeneracy, a precursor often of 
crime. A wayward girl or a disobedient boy will 
come to grief. But the long list of evils continues. 
In the last days men will be "unthankful," "un- 
holy." Ingratitude is base. The ingrate is unwor- 
thy of favors. Not only are men unholy, but many 
pulpits declare it impossible that we be holy, and 
this, notwithstanding the blood of the covenant 
ivhich cleanseth from all sin (1 John 1:7), and the 
Divine Christ Who, with all power in heaven and 
in earth (Matt. 28:18), is pledged to save His peo- 
ple from their sins (Matt. 1:21), even to the utter- 
most. (Heb. 7:25). "Without natural affection." 
The only test of a true home is love. When this is 
lacking there's sorrow 'neath the roof. The result 
is an alarming increase of divorce and a wicked 
rending of family ties. The Sabbath and the fam- 
ily are the only institutions which have survived 
the fall of man and the desolations of the centuries. 
In these days they are shamefully attacked and 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 



well-nigh tortured to their ruin. ' 'Truce breakers, 
false accusers, incontinent, fierce." Accusing oth- 
ers falsely, breaking obligations, practicing injus- 
tice, given over to lasciviousness, to unchastity, 
fierceness of nature; these evils abound to a greater 
or less extent in the church and in the state. As a 
matter of fact, we know they exist now, and by in- 
spiration we learn that they will characterize the 
time of the end. But hear the apostle further. 
"Despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, 
high-minded, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers 
of God. " We do not care in this connection to speak 
at length of the theater, the dance, the Sunday pic- 
nic, and the general spirit of frivolity and lightness, 
but all these things belong to the last days. What 
of the church? While it is boasting of its enlarge- 
ment and progress, the apostle calls a halt, and 
asks what about the power? He tells us they "will 
have the form of godliness but will deny" the vital 
essence of it. A church without the Spirit is a 
carcass, a poor, cold, dead body, ready for putre- 
faction. It is clear that Paul was no post-mil- 
lennialist. If the world is to be saved, it must 
be done beyond the period designated by him as 
the "last days," by which term he means the end 
of the present dispensation. Thank God, there is 
to be a deliverance beyond these "last days," as we 
shall see in other pages of this book. Gordon well 
says: "The present age is everywhere set forth in 
Scripture as one of mingled darkness and light, 
towards the end of which the shadows rather 
deepen into judgment than break away before a 
triumphant millennial dawn. (Ecce Venit, page 66). 



36 The Blessed Hope. 

(16). Worse and Worse. We are frequently asked 
if we believe the world is getting better, or worse. 
This is a difficult question. We treat it more at 
length in another chapter. Whether the world as 
a whole will improve or degenerate, toward the 
coming of Christ, may not be very easy of solu- 
tion. At present the elements of righteousness 
are valiantly engaged for its betterment; but these 
are offset by fearful forces of wickedness. Our 
own opinion is, that the lines between the good and 
the bad are being more sharply drawn than hith- 
erto. The word through Daniel concerning the 
time of the end is, "Many shall be purified, and 
made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do 
wickedly." (Dan. 12:10). We believe there is now 
as fine a type of Christianity in a limited sphere as 
the world has ever seen. But over against this is 
wickedness unmeasured and immeasurable. The 
carnal nature is as corrupt as ever; demons as 
vicious and the Devil as full of rage, knowing that 
he hath but a short time on earth. I assume no 
obligation to prove that the world is growing worse, 
but I can readily show that it is, and has ever been, 
exceedingly wicked. He who will consult the 
Scriptures given in this chapter cannot deny that 
this state of things will continue, if it does not in- 
crease, to the end of our age — the Gospel Dispen- 
sation. But whatever the condition of the world 
now or later, we are ready to subscribe to the 
Pauline declaration: 

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, 
deceiving", and being* deceived." (2 Tim. 3:13). 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 37 

(17). Colossal Fortunes. The increase of wealth 
and its concentration in a few hands is to-day the 
marvel of thinking men. There has never been a 
time when such vast fortunes were piled together. 
James had a glimpse of these times when he bade 
the rich, "Weep and howl for your miseries," and 
declared, "Your riches are corrupted," "your gold 
and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall 
be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh 
as fire." Did he address the rich of his day alone? 
Surely not, for he adds, "Ye have heaped treasures 
together for the last days" (Greek, "in the last 
days"), and he immediately charges home upon 
them the cry of the oppressed laborer. (Jas. 
5:1-6). If Adam were living to-day and had suc- 
ceeded in laying aside ten thousand dollars each 
year from his creation to the present, his fortune 
would not equal that of a Rockefeller or a Carne- 
gie, a Vanderbilt or a Cecil Rhodes, and others that 
might be mentioned. If the reader is inclined to 
question this, he can easily make the calculation 
for himself, and if he does, he will find that any 
one of the characters named possesses a great deal 
more than father Adam would now have. These 
vast accumulations of money will witness against 
their holders in the day of reckoning; but men will 
hasten this day of vengeance, of the execution of 
outraged justice upon glutted covetousness, even if 
Christ should tarry. Rags and hunger, squalor and 
want, wretchedness and misery hang over against 
these massive fortunes and overflowing luxuries of 
the rich, creating a great contrast with the spirit 
of the holy Christ. He who denied Himself and 



38 The Blessed Hope. 

became poor and homeless and shelterless and pil- 
lowless for the salvation of men will judge the cov- 
etousness and selfishness which hoardes while oth- 
ers hunger, bloats while others beg, and fattens 
while others starve. 

(18). The Seven Epistles. (Rev. 2d and 3d chap- 
ters). These epistles to the seven churches of 
Asia are believed to cover the w T hole church period, 
from the days when they were written to the 
Apocalypse of Jesus Christ. The churches herein 
addressed are representative. They were not all, 
nor the greatest, churches of their times, but they 
were selected as embodying the spirit and repre- 
senting the life of the church in all ages. The 
purest and best were Ephesus and Smyrna, and 
they were closest to the apostolic period. Thyatira, 
w T ith her adulterous Jezebel, as prophetess, repre- 
sents the church of the middle ages — Romanism, 
corrupted by lust and debauched by worldliness, 
greed and carnality. Which one represents the 
period terminating this dispensation, bordering on 
that which is to come? It is none other than 
Laodicea, that lukewarm, disgusting thing which 
God declared He was about to vomit forth. Does 
this not remind the reader of the church of the 
last times as described by Paul — having the form 
of godliness, but denying the power thereof? This 
does not mean that every member of the church 
of the last times shall be lukewarm, but it gives us 
a type of the then prevailing condition. 

(19). The False Cry of Peace. In both epistles to 
the Thessalonians, Paul mentions the coming of 
Christ in each chapter. He tells them they are in- 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 39 

formed concerning this subject, knowing ''perfect- 
ly that the day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the 
night," (IThess. 5:1-8). He adds: "When they 
shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction 
cometh upon them/' The cry of "peace, peace" 
is very common now. Men say the coming of 
Christ is far away; a thing of the dim, distant 
future; but this contradicts the word of the Living 
God, which bids us consider the day as near "at 
hand," and Jesus declares, "I come quickly." (Rom. 
13:12, 13) . It was doubtless this false cry of ' 'peace" 
which lulled the ten virgins to sleep, for they 
"all slept," rather, became drowsy before the 
Bridegroom came. The evident meaning of this 
is, that the great bulk of the church will be asleep 
on this question, having lost interest in it. What 
deadens interest, and cuts the nerve of hope and 
watchfulness concerning the advent of our Lord, 
more than the post-millennial heresy of our times? 
(20). Antichrist Continues. (2 Thess-. 2:1-9). As 
we have a' chapter on the Antichrist we will not 
dw r ell at length upon it here. It is, however, an 
unmistakable fact that this is his age. He was in 
existence in the days of the Apostle John, and will 
only be obliterated in the very glory of the advent. 
The expression, He shall be destroyed "with the 
brightness of His coming," might be literally ren- 
dered, "He shall be annulled by the appearing of 
His own presence." The Antichrist was, is, and 
shall be, till He comes, and there is no means of 
being rid of his hurtful and corrupting influence 
till the Lion of the tribe of Juda appears upon the 
scene. 



40 The Blessed Hope. 

(21). Apocalyptic Revealment. I shall not enter 
into a discussion of the marvels of the Apocalypse.* 

Any reader, however, can readily see from the 
book that it allows no era of all-prevailing peace 
and holiness prior to the King's advent and the 
judgment period, then to be inaugurated. The Word 
of God as He rides out of heaven, accompanied by 
the armies thereof, to the marriage supper, finds 
men so debauched that He bids a great angel turn 
over their carcases to the fowls of heaven. (Rev. 
19:6-15). The thousand years of reigning with His 
saints and purging the earth follows this advent, 
and yet precedes the final judgment of the great 
white throne (chapter 20). From the fourth chap- 
ter to the nineteenth is one continual scene of judg- 
ment and plague, land and sea alike smitten, beasts 
from the abyss arising, consternation and confusion 
spreading, sorrows multiplying. If we study this 
book as one of historic symbols, covering the entire 
period from the apostles to the end of the age, or 
seek for it a literal fulfillment at the day of Christ's 
appearing, the result is the same. There is no room 
in any period of it for the dominion of the gospel 
and the salvation of the race from sin and sorrow 
till the return of Jesus. 

(22). Unbroken chain of evil. The course of the 
world's wickedness knows no cessation before the 
appearing of the King. The reign of "the god of 
this world" (2 Cor. 4:-4) culminates in the dark and 

* We would strongly recommend ''Lectures on the Apoca- 
lypse/' Rev. J. A. Seiss, 3 vols. Price only $2.50 net. Pick- 
ett Publishing Co., Louisville, Ky. It is a thorough and an 
unanswerable exposition of this difficult book. 






No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 41 

awful period known as the great tribulation. (Jer. 
25:15-33). It is a glimpse of that period which has 
been characterized by wars, pestilences, famines, 
earthquakes, and apostasy which the Master re- 
lieves by the promise of His glorious epiphany. 

"Im mediately after the tribulation of those days shall the 
sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and 
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heav- 
ens shall be shaken: 

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in 
heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, 
and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of 
heaven with power and great glory. 

"And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a 
trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the 
four winds, from "one end of heaven to the other." (Matt. 
24:29-31). 



OBJECTIONS. 

(1) Tlie Leaven. (Matt, 13:33). 

The objector strongly urges that the parable of 
the leaven represents the kingdom of God as a 
progressive thing — a development. From this he 
argues that the world is to be gradually brought 
to Christ through the leavening influences of the 
gospel. To this we reply: 

(a) Is not salvation, regeneration, an instantane- 
ous work of God's grace, a crisis in the life of an 
individual? Doubtless every reader will concede 
this. But the world shall have its regeneration. 
(Matt. 19:28). Now, if regeneration in the indi- 
vidual is a sudden work, wrought by power divine, 
what will it be in the earth? Shall its regenera- 
tion be different from that of the individual? Will 
the objector press this gradual idea of progressive 
leaven into the experience of the individual, and 



42 The Blessed Hope. 

insist that his salvation is a development from sin 
to holiness? I trow not. The work of leaven in 
the individual is rather that of apostasy; while 
conversion is instantaneous, backsliding is almost 
universally gradual. At Pentecost multitudes were 
moved God- ward, but the leaven of corruption 
worked the deterioration of the church through the 
centuries. 

(b) A careful study of the Scriptures concerning 
leaven will reveal the fact that it is nearly if not 
always considered evil. It was excluded from the 
Passover and the Lord's Supper. It represents 
death rather than life, sickness rather than health, 
decay rather than growth. When God reproved 
Israel for backsliding He suggested sarcastically 
by Amos the prophet, "Offer a sacrifice of thanks- 
giving with leaven. . . .for this liketh you, O, chil- 
dren of Israel, saith the Lord God." (Amos 4:5). 
Jesus, in condemning the corrupt teachings of his 
day, said: "Beware of the leaven (i. e., doctrines) 
of the Pharisees." (Luke 12:1). Paul, speaking 
of fornication in the Corinthian church, says: 
"Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the 
whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, 
that ye maybe a new lump, as ye are unleavened." 
Confessing Christ our sacrifice he exhorted, "Let 
us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with 
the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the 
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Cor. 
5:6-8). What is the leaven in this case? The cor- 
ruption of the church by fornication. The true 
followers of Christ are unleavened. But, says the 
objector, this leaven represents the kingdom of 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 43 

heaven, and must forever stand for purity. Not 
necessarily. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is 
as a drag net bringing in all kinds of fishes. Are 
sharks and devil-fish good because brought in by 
the gospel drag net? He also compares the king- 
dom to a wheat field in which an enemy sowed 
tares. Are the tares pure and good because men- 
tioned in this parable? To ask the question is to 
answer it. 

(c). Then what is the kingdom represented by 
the leaven? We believe it to be the organized 
church, which was intended to represent the work 
of God upon earth, and it does as yet present the 
only manifestation of the kingdom among men, but 
Satan has turned it measurably from its original 
purpose, and it has become corrupted and perverted 
as under the Jews. The tendency of the church 
in all ages has been to formality. The leaven of 
Satan has worked for the corruption of the king- 
dom of God, and hence in the epistles to the 
churches (Rev. 2d and 3d) we find them all except 
two in a mixed state, the last one of them a luke- 
warm thing, so disgusting to God that He spews it 
from His mouth. 

(d). But if all we have said concerning the cor- 
rupting influences of leaven be repudiated, and it 
still be insisted that this represents the progress 
of good and not evil, we reply, still our position is 
not overthrown. It is far from proven that the 
gospel will be confined to this dispensation. Does 
not Paul say that to Christ there will be glory in 
the "church throughout all generations, to the ages 
of the ages/' (Eph. 3:21). Even after Christ 



44 The Blessed Hope. 

comes the gospel is to be preached to the nations; 
their evils condemned, their sins overthrown. If 
the progressive view of the leaven, therefore, be 
insisted upon as illustrating the progress of the 
gospel, it may accomplish its work of renovating 
the world in the dispensation to come more perfect- 
ly than in this. 

(2). The Gospel Tree. 

Our objector rallies and informs us that the king- 
dom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed 
which becomes a great tree, so that the birds of 
the air lodge in its branches. (Matt. 13:31,32). 
This is true in its present representation of the 
kingdom. The trouble is, many fowls lodge in its 
branches that should not be there. It has shel- 
tered a Judas, a Hildebrand, and among its fowls 
have been the Popes who have burned men at the 
stake for repudiating their opinions. Its greatness 
does not prove its purity. Ah, says the objector, 
it represents "the kingdom." So with these other 
parables. We believe that a careful study of the 
parables concerning the kingdom will show that 
they reveal in nearly every case evil mixed with 
good, and frequently in the ascendant. In the par- 
able of the sower, though the seed is the same, and 
is all right, yet three parts bring forth no fruit, 
and of the fruitful fourth, only one-third brings a 
hundred-fold. Thus in this sample of the king- 
dom, but one-twelfth part yields a hundred-fold. 
In the parable of the ten virgins we have a picture 
of the church at the coming, and yet one-half of 
the members were foolish and unprepared to enter 
the marriage feast with the wise. 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 45 

(3). Dishonors the Holy Spirit. 

Another objector insists that to teach continuance 
of wickedness through this dispensation, and that 
the world will not be converted till the coming of 
Christ, is a reproach upon the Holy Spirit, deny- 
ing His efficiency. 

We reply: 

(a). This is wholly a matter of assumption on the 
objector's part. If the Scriptures teach the con- 
version of the world in this dispensation we abide 
their authority. If they do not, the objection is 
invalid. We believe we have already made plain 
from God's word that this age shall abound in wick- 
edness to its end. Have the Scriptures anywhere 
assigned to the Holy Spirit in the Gospel Dispen- 
sation the task of converting the world ? Is it m ade 
a test of His efficiency in any part of revelation? 
We deny, and on him who asserts it lies the burden 
of proof, the Onus probandi is yours, my friend, 
not mine. He who puts the work of the world's 
conversion on the blessed Spirit in the present 
dispensation slanders Him. How? By assigning 
Him a task so little part of which has been accom- 
plished in nineteen centuries. Was He responsible 
for not saving Nero, Domitian and other tyrants? 
If He is to be held to account for the conversion 
of all men in the end of this age, who is responsi- 
ble for the failure up to and including the present 
time? If the Spirit has assumed the task of sav- 
ing the whole world in this age, His methods ap- 
pear thus far inadequate. But who will dare make 
such charge? It is a necessary sequence of this ob- 
jection. Hence, he who urges the objection makes 



46 The Blessed Hope. 

the Comforter responsible for the loss of every 
soul that dies in sin. 

(b). But who can prove that the Spirit will ab- 
sent Himself from the world in the age to come? 
If I read the Scriptures correctly He will yet be 
among men carrying on the work of salvation. 
David shows that the blessings of God upon Israel 
will rebound upon the world. (Ps. 67). Paul says 
the receiving of them will be life from the dead. 
(Rom. 11:15). James declares that when Christ 
comes the tabernacle of David will be "set up." 
"What the result? The "residue of men" will seek 
after the Lord. (Acts 15:16,17). It is then that "all 
shall know Me, from the least to the greatest," for 
His law will be written in their hearts. (Heb. 
8:10,11). It is then the Spirit will be given the 
Jews. (See Ezek. 36:25-27). 

(4). Too Material. 

One objector urges, it is too material to bring in 
the personal Christ; He would be local, and hence 
the world would not be specially benefited by His 
presence. We reply: If Christ be King of the 
world, and Satan be bound, righteous laws will 
favor the evangelization of the nations. It fre- 
quently happens now that our gospel work is un- 
done by wicked influences in places of authority. 
Paul speaks of the wiles of the Devil and declares: 

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against 
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the dark- 
ness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high 
places." (Eph. 6:12). 

The world is now ruled by the Devil and his al- 
lies, its very governments being but wild beasts, 



No Millennium Till Christ Comes. 47 

as revealed to Daniel (chap. 7). This makes suc- 
cess is all religious work difficult. When we get a 
drunkard converted, a dramshop, bearing a gov- 
ernment license, stands ready to swallow him up 
and sink him to the lowest hell. Save a Sabbath- 
breaker, and he can scarcely find employment that 
will not require him to desecrate the holy day. 
Thus our gospel work is handicapped by wicked- 
ness in high places — by forces of evil enthroned. 
What Christian worker has not been discouraged 
by the falling away of his converts through these 
evil influences, which abound on every hand? En- 
throne the Christ, place the government in the 
hands of His risen saints, under His beneficent di- 
rection, and every den of iniquity shall be scourged 
from the earth, and the blessed gospel will be un- 
fettered, the work of the Holy Spirit unhampered, 
the nations will be quickly renovated; and then 
will be brought in the time when "HOLINESS TO 
THE LORD" shall be upon the very "bells of the 
horses. " HALLELUJAH ! 



48 The Blessed Hope. 



"We Will Bring the World to Christ." 



CHAPTER IV. 

Pregnant sentence! Pull of promise! Shall we 
see it fulfilled? The writer would certainly rejoice 
if it might be done. But I know of no Scripture 
authorizing such broad claim. To say the least, 
the promise has not yet been performed, though so 
frequently made. -Now, as in the day when spoken 
by the Master, "The harvest truly is great, but the 
laborers are few." (Luke 10:2). The question is 
often asked, Is the world getting better, or worse? 
I am free to confess that I do not know. It is 
not my task to prove it worse, and he assumes a 
large risk who pledges himself to show that it is 
really better. But we take no risk in asserting 
that it is exceedingly wicked. So it has been since 
the days of Christ, since the time of Noah, yea, 
since the time when the Edenic pair lost their orig- 
inal purity and their primeval home. Shortly after 
the fall, God declared of man that, "Every imag- 
ination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil, 
and that continually," and looking upon the earth 
He pronounced it corrupt." (Gen. 6:5,11,12). This 
was before the flood. How was it when the Mas- 
ter was on earth? The bulk of the world was 
heathen. If any spirituality could have been found 
it would certainly have been among the Jews. But 
4 'He came to his own, and his own received him 



"TPe Will Bring the World to Christ." 49 

not." (John 1:11). The Sadducees were infidels, 
denying the existence of spirits and the fact of the 
resurrection. (Acts 23:8). The Pharisees were 
sounder in doctrine than they, hence among them, 
if anywhere, we should look for godly character. 
But what do we find? Jesus condemned them ia 
the most terrific terms. He branded them as hypo- 
crites, as whited sepulchers, as serpents, as a gen- 
eration of vipers, and did not hesitate to call them 
* 'false and blind," declaring that they were "full 
of extortion and excess." He called them murder- 
ers, upon whom should come "all the righteous 
blood" ever shed upon the earth. He declared that 
he who would be saved must have a righteousness 
exceeding theirs. Turning sorrowfully from them, 
with the echoes of His bitterest denunciation dying 
in the distance, He declared, "Your house is left 
unto you desolate." (See Matt. 5:20; and the 23d 
chapter entire). 

What does the Word promise us as to this dis- 
pensation? Nowhere does it authorize us to expect 
the world's conversion. Rather, the purpose of 
this dispensation is given as a visit to the Gentiles 
to "take out of them a people for his name." (Acts. 
15:14). Surely this cannot mean their conversion 
as a whole. When a man visits a town to take unto 
himself a wife, are we to expect him to marry all 
the women in town? Does he not rather choose 
out one from among the many and take her unto 
himself, as a sharer of his prosperity and joint- 
bearer of his burdens? Christ, the Bridegroom, is 
choosing unto Himself the church, the ecclesia, the 
called out people. This church cannot, in the na- 

4 



50 The Blessed Hope. 

ture of the case, be constituted of the nations of 
the earth, as a whole. It is rather an eclectic com- 
pany constituting a composite body, of which He 
is the Head. (Col. 1:18). This ecclesia, like its di- 
vine Lord, is to be unworldly in character, "a pe- 
culiar people," a hidden pearl dug up and brought 
forth; the purpose being to show forth the praises 
of Him who hath called it out of darkness into His 
marvelous light. (1 Pet. 2:9). Who are to possess 
the kingdom? It is a ''little flock ;" as such it takes 
the dominion. (Luke 12:32). 

Since Jesus was crucified, and all His disciples 
martyred, centuries have rolled on, and yet the 
world is unregenerate, and the carnal mind, as in 
Paul's day, is "enmity against God." (Rom. 8:7). 
Is the world better? In some senses it surely is. 
There has been material progress, civilization has 
moved forward, knowledge has increased, educa- 
tion has become more general, science has devel- 
oped fields hitherto unexplored, and the morals of 
the world, as displayed upon the surface, are doubt- 
less better. Men travel with greater safety, as 
well as more comfort. The iron hand of tyranny 
lias been restrained. The bloody scepter which 
stood for the martyrdom of the saints of God has 
been wrenched from the despot's hand. The cruel 
lines of caste have been modified, and in many 
places effaced. The heartless sword of an imperial 
army no longer — at least not frequently — deluges 
nations with the Christian's blood. The disciple 
of Christ is no longer forced to an uneven combat 
w T ith wild beasts for the entertainment of heathen 
multitudes. Nor is it common for men and help- 



"We Will Bring the World to Christ." 51 

less women to be burned at the stake for reading 
their Bibles and worshiping God in the freedom of 
their homes. The heathen cruelties of the apos- 
tolic period, and the papal inquisitions of the mid- 
dle ages, no longer terrorize the humble adherent 
of the cross. Those were dark days when Luther 
hurled the anathemas of God at the Papacy, w T hen 
Huss and Jerome, Ridley and Latimer, and lesser 
lights by the thousand, were burned at the stake, 
at the instance of the so-called church of God, 
more properly the fallen ecclesiasticism, the apos- 
tate bride of the anti-Christ. If we pass on down 
to the days of the Wesleys, and take a brief sur- 
vey of the condition of Europe and England we 
find wickedness rampant. In 1723 Lady Montague 
wrote, "The honor, virtue and reputation which 
we used to hear of in the nursery arc as much laid 
aside as crumpled ribbons." Of the same period 
Daniel Dorchester writes, "The masses entertained 
themselves with brutal amusements, instigating 
bloody quarrels, and engendering savage disposi- 
tions." Leckey declared, "The impunity with 
which outrages were committed in the ill-lit and 
ill-guarded streets of London during the first half 
of the eighteenth century cannot well be realized." 
It was an age of gambling, of Sabbath breaking, 
of bribery, drunkenness and licentiousness. The 
churches were spiritually dead, the priests venal 
and corrupt. The Wesleyan revival was a godsend 
to England and America. Nor were its beneficent 
influences limited to the English speaking peoples. 
As a light shining in the darkness it went forth 



52 The Blessed Hope. 

into other nations and languages. Blessed results 
have been accomplished. 

In the century just passed the Salvation Army 
has wrought marvels. Many denominations of 
Christians have taken on new life, and their mis- 
sionary, philanthropic and educational labors have 
assumed extensive proportions. In addition to all 
this, an aggressive evangelism has sprung up, 
which has yielded very gracious results. A spirit 
of fraternity and denominational unity of pur- 
pose has also developed which is gratifying. 
The Bible has been translated and extensive- 
ly circulated in all the great languages and 
many of the dialects of earth. Reform move- 
ments have been inaugurated in which God's 
people have blended their efforts to counter- 
act and offset the combined forces of evil. Mis- 
sionaries are speeding forth on their God-given 
errands to the ends of the earth. Light and 
knowledge are increasing. The printing press has 
been yoked up for Christ, and thousands of vol- 
umes and millions of pages are being .poured forth 
upon the face of the earth. That man must be 
blind indeed who can see no occasion for thanks- 
giving in the face of all these facts. 

BUT STILL THE PICTURE IS DARK. 

Over against the good which brings encourage- 
ment and cheer, is a scene of wickedness, of moral 
obliquity and spiritual destitution that is appall- 
ing. 

The population of the earth is estimated at about 
fifteen hundred millions; of these (of course, we 



"We Will Bring the World to Christ." 53 

use only round numbers) about nine hundred mill- 
ions are heathens; two hundred millions are Mo- 
hammedans, and four hundred millions Christians 
— so-called. But it must be remembered that the 
larger part of these four out of every fifteen are 
Christians only in name; very few of them being 
devout souls, real lovers of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
It is simply a classification by nations, and not a 
spiritual census of the world. For every four per- 
sons who live in Christian lands and adhere to the 
Christian civilization, rather than to heathenism, 
there are eleven who reside in lands where the 
Bible is not known, nor the Christ of Calvary hon- 
ored and worshiped. Of these eleven, two are 
followers of Mohammed, the false prophet, while 
nine are heathens, largely pagan, and many of 
them savages of the lowest type. To bring the 
great unwashed multitudes of earth to Christ would 
require each company of four persons in Christian 
lands, so-called, to carry the gospel to another 
company of eleven in non-Christian countries. But 
a large per cent, of the four are Christian only in 
name. They do not know God, and have no mis- 
sionary spirit. 

So we see the great bulk of the world is not yet 
under the influence of even a Christian civilization. 
The vast majority of men are utterly ignorant of 
the revealed word of God, and entirely destitute of 
the first principles of Christianity. They dwell in 
darkness, and at least many of their lands are the 
habitations of cruelty, where man is benighted, 
woman degraded, and where children are neglected 
or practically enslaved. Heathenism is both blind 



54 The Blessed Hope. 

and deaf, while Mohammedanism is cruel, blood- 
thirsty and devilish. These two powerful divisions 
of the world's religions hold under their benighted 
sway many of the most beautiful portions of our 
planet, even including the cradle land of the race. 
The very lands wherein God once manifested Him- 
self are now darkened and cursed by the deadly 
shadows of paganism, the midnight of heathenism, 
or the bloody scepter of the false prophet. 

But leaving this phase of the question, let us 
glance at Christendom. What do we find among 
the four hundred millions who are included in our 
classification as Christians? In the first place we 
have one hundred and eighty millions of Romanists 
— adherents of the papacy. This cruel apostasy has 
kept Italy in ignorance, continued Spain beneath 
the shadows of the middle ages, bound a number of 
the South American States with the chains of 
a heartless priestcraft; it has passed France 
through the throes of the bloody revolution, and 
landed her in the meshes of a cheerless infidelity. 
Cuba at our door, and the far Philippines now be- 
neath our flag, are handicapped by her supersti- 
tions, while Mexico has just begun to awaken into 
life by casting aside the shackles of Romanism. A 
survey of the morals of her people, of the educa- 
tional and home conditions of Catholic countries, 
will show them to be but little advanced above the 
heathens. The Sabbath is scarcely regarded, ille- 
gitimate births are numerous, drunkenness abounds 
and ignorance is rife in all Romish lands. Indi- 
vidual and national samples of the deadly effect of 
this fatal Upas tree, which exudes its deadly 



"We Will Bring the World to Christ" 55 

miasma under the name of Christianity, are not 
wanting. What is it but a wolf in sheep's cloth- 
ing, Satan parading as an angel of light?* Is Ro- 
manism capable of "bringing the world to Christ?" 
Let Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Bra- 
zil, Ecuador and the Philippines answer. 

Next to Romanism, in our brief survey of Chris- 
tendom, we have the Greek church. This is the 
Eastern branch of the so-called Catholic church, 
and is considered by many to be even more corrupt 
than the Western division. It is notoriously heret- 
ical in teaching and impure in morals. Witness 
Russia and other European countries. It can 
scarcely be said to have a Sabbath, while its relig- 
ious life consists merely in forms and ceremonies. 
Thus we set aside at once two hundred and eighty 
millions of our nominal Christendom. What is left? 
A paltry one hundred and twenty millions. But as 
our figures are only in round numbers, the Protest- 
ant population of the world might exceed this esti- 
mate; to be liberal, we will allow, thirty millions, 
giving a grand total of one hundred and fifty mill- 
ions of Protestants. 

Now let us glance down this line. To make up 
these figures we count by countries, so that the 
estimates are national, rather than individual. Our 
body-of one hundred and fifty millions of Protest- 
ant "Christians" is therefore composed, as we shall 
see, of a motley crowd of mortals. Take the United 
States as a sample; and it is ranked as largely 
Protestant. It is perhaps not a whit behind the 

* See my book, ''The Danger Signal," price $1.00, for a full 
discussion of the subject. 



56 The Blessed Hope. 

very best of the nations, religiously considered. 
But how does it measure up to the New Testament 
demands of Christianity? A brief survey of the 
field will be profitable. Let us see what we have: 

(a). The Liquor Traffic. 

There are two hundred and forty thousand sa- 
loons, and the liquor traffic in its entirety engages 
irom five hundred thousand to seven hundred thou- 
sand men constantly in its service. But to make 
this a Christian nation, and to reach our total of 
-one hundred and fifty millions of Protestants, these 
:must be counted — less about ten millions of Ro- 
manists, which do not improve our spiritual aver- 
age. 

(b). Impurity. 

In the dens of infamy in the United States there 
^re more than three hundred thousand women and 
girls, of fallen character and ruined life, beside the 
uncounted thousands of those who pass for pure 
and are yet unworthy and are lax in morals. These 
are patronized and supported by a vast army of 
men as fallen as themselves, as impure and unholy, 
as much debauched as they. But these, both men 
and women, must all be counted as Christians to 
reach the figures of which many boast, when parad- 
ing their optimistic views of the early conversion 
of the world. 

(c). Gambling. 

There are more than two millions of gamblers, 
doubtless, in the United States. They throw cards, 
race horses, bet on prize fights, speculate on corn, 
cotton, wheat, and other ' "futures" through which 
comes theft, forgeries, drunkenness and general 



11 We Will Bring the World to Christ." 57 

demoralization and corruption. Talmage says: "It 
is estimated that every day in Christendom eight 
millions of dollars pass from hand to hand, through 
gambling practices, and that every year in Chris- 
tendom two billion eight hundred million dollars 
change hands in that way. There are in this clus- 
ter of cities (New York, Brooklyn and Jersey City) 
about eight hundred confessed gambling establish- 
ments. How many of them do you suppose pro- 
fess to be honest? Ten." And these are ten stand- 
ing lies. Gambling dens, like saloons, are open 
doorways to hell, and many pass through them to 
the hopeless regions of the damned. But to make 
this a Christian country, this host of gamblers must 
be counted. 

(d). The Lord's Day. 

There is little regard for the fourth command- 
ment. Saloons, theaters, excursions, beer gardens, 
picnics, and other creations of man's lust and car- 
nality have almost taken possession of the Sabbath 
in the cities, and in much of the country. Aside 
from these evils we would call attention to the gen- 
eral encroachments of the business world upon the 
day of rest. More than half a million railroad 
men have to work on the Sabbath as on other days, 
or lose their positions; but if the railroad employe 
should surrender his place rather than toil on Sun- 
day, what would he do? If he enters the service 
of the telegraph company, his day of rest is 
wrenched from him as before. If he becomes 
printer and finds employment on the daily paper, 
he will be required to work on the Lord's day; if 
he gets a position on the street-car, it is no better, 



58 The Blessed Hope. 



rather worse. If he enters an ice factory, or a meat 
market, the same demands are made. In fact, turn 
where you may, you will find the laboring man 
bound down by ceaseless toil. By the godlessness 
and greed of our times he is between the upper 
and the nether millstones. Conscience and the 
Decalogue require that he keep the Sabbath holy, 
while greed demands that it be sacrificed. 

(e). Greed. 

Greed paralyzes conscience, perverts justice, pol- 
lutes the sanctuary, robs man, filches her hard 
earnings from woman, hardens the heart and final- 
ly damns its victim. Our government stamps its 
coin, "In God we trust," but pampers the diabolical 
spirit of avarice and injustice by forcing many of 
its servants to earn their living by Sabbath toil. 
The saloonist buys government license and protec- 
tion to carry on his hellish traffic, paying the bill 
in this same coin. Law is corrupted and villainy 
defended thro greed. The commercialism of our 
times may yet be our ruin. Covetousness is a can- 
cer upon spiritual life, a festering sore upon the 
body politic. It stalks abroad in the land begetting 
crime, immorality and infidelity. It slips into the 
church of God and undermines the very institution 
which was intended to wipe it out and to promote 
piety and advance godliness. 

(f). Criminality. 

Our prison population is far and away beyond the 
hundred thousand line. Mothers, wives, children, 
suffer at home, while sons, husbands, fathers, lan- 
guish in jail, or labor in stripes; and yet blind op- 
timists paint everything in roseate hues. 



"We Will Bring the World to Christ." 59 

(g). Young Men, 

The boy of to-day is the man of to-morrow. In 
considering the spiritual condition of the country 
it is well to look at him. Where are the youths of 
our nation? Leaders in the Y. M. C. A., w T hose 
business it is to look after young men, tell us that 
ninety-five per cent, of those in the cities never at- 
tend church. Prof. Shaler Matthews, of Chicago 
University, in a late lecture, said that in a census 
recently taken by the Central Y. M. C. A. of that 
city, only a very small part, perhaps two or three 
per cent., of those who attend that institution do so 
on religious grounds. But to make up our quota 
of Protestant Christendom, over -which so many 
are boasting as to religious progress, we have to 
count the ninety-five who stay out of church, and 
the larger per cent, who attend the association 
from other than spiritual motives along with those 
who enter church, or attend the Y. M. C. A. for 
spiritual help. With but five per cent, of the 
young men of this nation even attending church, 
when are we to save our own land, not to mention 
the heathen nations? 

It is no uncommon sight in our great cities to find 
five thousand people out on Sunday excursions, or 
carousing in beer gardens, while the preacher dis- 
courses to forty women and girls, with fifteen men 
and boys, in a church building capable of seating 
from eight hundred to a thousand persons. Yet 
they tell us, "We will bring the world to Christ." 
Wish they'd begin on that boat-load of Sunday ex- 
cursionists, or, as a sample, convert the beer gar- 
den crowd. 



60 The Blessed Hope. 

Loomis, in his book, entitled ' 'Modern Cities," 
declares that the ' 'Protestant churches have lost 
influence among the workingmen. " He says that 
but "few have succeeded in holding their own in 
the cities;" that the "American Protestant Church, 
as a whole, has failed to win to itself the working 
classes of the towns." He records as a fact that in 
1880, in Boston, counting churches of all kinds, 
there was but one house of worship to every six- 
teen hundred of the population; in Chicago, one to 
2,081; in New York, one to 2,468; in St. Louis, one 
to every 2,800. (Page 88). If we allow each St. 
Louis church a seating capacity of 900, this will 
accommodate scarcely one-third of its proportion of 
the population; but when it can secure a congrega- 
tion of but ninety, which is frequently the case, we 
see it is actually providing for but about one-thir- 
tieth of its quota of the city's masses. Then we 
must also bear in mind that of those who do attend, 
many do not even profess vital godliness, while 
some who are loud in profession are low in prac- 
tice. 

(g). Church Members. 

Are they all godly? Have they a spiritual ac- 
quaintance with Christ Jesus? Are they holy in 
all manner of conversation? Have they the power 
of godliness, or simply the form? Take the aver- 
age church of 200 members. How many of them 
keep the ten commandments? Do none of them 
drink whisky, attend theaters, horse races, cir- 
cuses? Do none of them play cards, billiards, or 
attend questionable places of resort? 

To get at the question from another point of 



"TPe Will Bring the World to Christ/' hi 

view, let us take a brief survey of the spiritual 
phases of the Christian life, not simply the moral. 
The New Testament Christian must be regenerated. 
He must really know God in his heart. He must 
be a man of prayer. If the head of a household, 
he should by all means have his family altar. He 
should search the Scriptures, be thoroughly hon- 
est, entirely reliable, true to his promises, and 
faithful to his obligations. He should attend church 
as frequently as opportunity will allow, and be will- 
ing to lead in prayer when called upon, or conduct 
prayer-meeting if needed. He should take a hearty 
interest in revivals, and be ever ready to testify to 
the saving grace of God, manifested in his heart 
and life. He should give at least one-tenth of his 
income to religious uses, and labor in every possi- 
ble way to bring others to the knowledge of Christ, 
and to promote everywhere the glory of the great 
King. Surely this standard is not too high for a 
New Testament Christian. If we are to convert the 
world, we cannot afford to work by a lower. And 
yet, if measured by this standard, how many real 
Christians will we find in the average congregation 
of two hundred members? Are there ten such; 
that is, five per cent, of the whole? We seriously 
doubt it. 

The world may not be growing worse. Through 
the centuries it has been so bad that to make it 
much worse would be to turn it into a hell. But 
there is little vital godliness; the per cent, of New 
Testament Christians is fearfully small. Those 
who love God supremely are comparatively few. A 
writer, Rev. Win. Reddy I believe it is, makes the 



62 The Blessed Hope. 



following terrific arraignment of our modern 
Churchianity: "The religion which is character- 
istic of these last days curls its lip at holiness; car- 
icatures divine healing; antagonizes the premillen- 
nial coming of Jesus; thinks the world is growing 
beautifully better; puts outward reformation for 
soul salvation; runs off on lines of humanitarianism 
as a substitute for the indwelling Holy Spirit; is 
forever forming itself into fresh organizations of 
'Leagues,' and 'Endeavors,' and 'Boys' Brigades.' 
It dreams of bringing in the millennium by social 
reforms; it denies that Jesus will come and reign 
on the earth, but seeks to usurp His place and 
build for itself a kingdom in this world. It is an 
ease-loving, jovial, laughing, fun-making, fun-lov- 
ing, superficial thing. Its motives are bounded by 
time. All its enterprises have an atmosphere of 
earthliness about them. It despises the day of 
small things; it scorns little, humble people, and 
lonely ways. It is eager to jump to the height of 
prosperity; it is domineering and Popish in its as- 
sertions over the poor, and yet, at the same time, 
cringes like a puppy before the rich and the great 
ones. Its music has no pathos in it; its laughter 
lacks divine cheerfulness; its worship lacks super- 
natural love; its prayers bring down no huge an- 
swers; it works no miracles; calls forth no criti- 
cism from the world; it has no light of eternity in 
its eye. It is a poor, pale, sickly thing, born of 
the union of the heart of the world with the head 
of Christian theology — a mongrel, bastard thing, 
with a backslidden church for its mother, and the 
world for its father. This modern, fashionable re- 



"We Will Bring the World to Christ." 63 

ligion will be everlastingly wrecked at the appear- 
ing of Jesus.' 1 If we have to ' 'bring the world to 
Christ'' by present gospel methods, or agencies, 
when we have already spent nearly two thousand 
years to reach such a stage as this, our task is in- 
deed very difficult. . 

Even the "Holiness Movement" is rent into fac- 
tions. Some are for all the churches; some for 
none. Some are zealous advocates of divine heal- 
ing; others look upon it as fanaticism. Some are 
clearly and strongly with the writer on the "blessed 
hope" of His near coming; others label it "a side- 
track," and will not read concerning it, or allow it 
preached in their meetings. I could not get room 
in The Christian Witness, under dear Bro. McLaugh- 
lin's editorial management, for a brief note on this 
question. The National Holiness Association will 
not allow it preached, as I understand, in their 
meetings. And yet these are godly, zealous men. 
I do not name this to condemn them, but to show 
the hopelessness of their task. The world can 
never be filled with the knowledge of God by 
preaching a half gospel, or through the labors of 
men who cannot see eye to eye. And yet we who 
are emphasizing the doctrine of unity (John 
17:17-23; Eph. 4:11-15) cannot unite. Who is to 
blame? I say the brethren who reject a large part 
of God's word. They reply, You, who are forever 
harping on non-essentials. The fact is, neither is 
to blame; both are honest. We shall know each 
other better when the shadows flee away before 
the light of His countenance. We will easily unite 
and "the residue of men will seek after the Lord" 



64 The Blessed Hope. 

when He returns and restores all things. (Acts 
3:19-21; 15:14-17). Till then let us "walk in love." 
(Eph. 5:2; Uohn 4:7). 

Will our post-millennial brethren please give us 
a sample, if the nations may all be brought to 
Christ by the present regime. We ought to begin 
to have some qualifications for our great accom- 
plishment. We should see some signs accompany- 
ing a promise so large. We have preached the 
gospel for eighteen centuries, and yet there is not 
a Christian nation on the face of the earth. Who 
will show us a converted city, town, village, ham- 
let or community? If, with our best efforts, with 
Sunday-schools, leagues, endeavors; with church 
revivals, camp-meetings, tents; with pastors, evan- 
gelists, the aid of godly men and women; the use 
of the printing press, pouring forth books, papers, 
and tracts; with the preaching of sound doctrine 
and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, if, with all 
these, we cannot bring even a village to the feet of 
Christ, upon what must we build our hopes of 
gathering the entire world into the fold? Not only 
is it impossible to get them saved, but equally so 
to keep them from falling away. Men grow gray 
under our ministry, and yet continue in their sins, 
while others backslide and go to perdition despite 
our most earnest efforts. Judas passed through 
the earthly ministry of Christ either unconverted, 
or, in the end, a hopeless apostate. While the 
apostolic ministry was wonderfully fruitful, yet 
many, despite its influences, continued in their sins, 
while others made shipwreck of the faith under 
the best efforts of these Spirit-anointed men. All 



"We Will Bring the World to Christ." 65 

the dead churches of the world are such by apos- 
tasy, as they were practically all born in revivals. 
Again, what about that picture of the Master's 
coming in which from the field, from the mill, and 
from the bed, one is taken and the other left? We 
hear preachers cry out, "O, brethren, if we would 
only live right we could bring the world to Christ. " 
This all sounds very well; but it will not stand the 
test. Did not Enoch live right? How about Moses,, 
Daniel, Elijah? They certainly lived godly lives, 
but did they convert the world? Those who are to 
be taken from the mill, from the field, from the 
bed, will surely have been living right, else they 
would have no admittance to the marriage supper 
of the Lamb, to that meeting with their Lord in the 
air. But despite their godly character and their 
fervent prayers, through which they will be per- 
mitted to participate in the rapture (Luke 21:36), 
they will not be able to bring even their asso- 
ciates, those with whom they work and sleep, to a 
readiness for the occasion. How many godly wives 
may be caught up, while their worldly husbands 
are left? Yea, how many faithful parents will rise 
to meet their Lord, while their frivolous, prayer- 
less, Christless offspring will go into the shadows 
and horrors of the great tribulation. In fact, the 
only translations of which we have auy account 
occurred in the times of the densest darkness. 
These saintly men (Enoch and Elijah) of whom God 
thought so much that He would not allow them to 
fall victims of death, were unable to bring even 
the communities in which they lived to God, or to 
secure the companionship of one sanctified asso- 

5 



66 Ttie Blessed Hope. 

ciate in their deathless journey to the skies. To 
Daniel the revelation was given concerning the 
time of the end, that many should be purified, i.e., 
sanctified, but the wicked should do wickedly. 
Nor does the continued godlessness of the wicked 
discount the purity of the sanctified. We all know 
the value of godly living, and the writer is not 
willing to be discounted by any in insisting upon 
holiness of heart and life. But it is better to speak 
the truth than to speak falsely. Live as best we 
may, be as diligent, faithful, fervent, and Christly 
as we can, we shall not be able to bring this wicked 
world to the feet of Christ — our grandiloquent op- 
timists to the contrary, notwithstanding. 

"We will bring the world to Christ" will we? 
Would that we might. But while we write Christen- 
dom is spending annually $5,000,000,000 (five bil- 
lions) of dollars on liquor and tobacco to a paltry 
$15,000,000 on missions; i. e., 333 to 1. Our ships 
are loaded with beer, whisky and tobacco for the 
heathens. Our governments draw revenue from 
vice and debauch our citizens for gain. The gov- 
ernments of the world are struggling with anarchy, 
while the armies of Christendom, prepared for the 
destruction of each other, run into the millions. 
By our own vices we are debauched, Christ is in- 
sulted, the very heathens are astonished, the Spirit 
of God is grieved and wrath is stored up against the 
day of wrath. 

That stalwart writer, H. L. Hastings, forcefully 
puts the case: "What are the present prospects of 
a church that has set out in all confidence to con- 
vert the world? How may those now putting on 



"TT> Will Bring the World to Christ." 67 

the harness boast of greater success than is war- 
ranted by the experience of those who have put it 
off after having fought the good fight? The proph- 
ets could not convert the world; are we mightier 
than they? The apostles could not convert the 
world; are w r e stronger than they? The martyrs 
could not convert the world; can we do more than 
they? The Church for eighteen hundred years 
could not convert the world; can ive do it? They 
have preached the gospel of Christ; so can we. 
They have gone to earth's remotest bounds; so can 
we. They have saved 'some;' so c^n we. They 
have wept as so few believed their report; so can 
we. They have finished their course with joy, and 
the ministry which they have received to testify 
the gospel of the grace of God; we can do the 
same. Can we reasonably hope to do more? 'It 
would take all eternity to bring the Millennium, at 
the rate that modern revivals progress,' said the 
venerable Lyman Beecher. What hope is there 
that they will progress more rapidly? Is it in the 
word of God? Glad would we be to find it there. 
Sadly we read that 'Evil men and seducers 
shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being de- 
ceived.' " 



68 The Blessed Hope. 



The Great Tribulation. 



CHAPTER V. 

"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since 
the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall 
be." (Matt. 24:21). 

Post-millennialists here as alsewhere are contin- 
ually minimizing the word of God. According to 
the theory which they attempt to maintain, they 
talk glibly of an earth filled with the glory of God 
in the present dispensation. Grim war becomes a 
relic of the past and mankind is filled with blessings 
and happiness before the coming of the Lord. The 
Scriptures, on the other hand, point out a fearful 
time, a period of indescribable suffering and un- 
mitigated anguish, immediately antedating the glo- 
rious appearing of the Son of man. (See Matt. 24: 
29-32). 

Instead of world-wide peace and blessing, His 
coming is to be preceded by the most awful period 
of suffering and sorrow, afflictions and destruction 
in all the annals of time. It is "immediately" 
after the tribulation that He is to be seen coming in 
glory. 

A careful survey of the discourses of our Lord, 
as recorded by the evangelists (Matt. 24 and Luke 
21), will indicate, not first a converted world, and 
then a returning Judge while it is in a state of gos- 
pel light, grace and purity, but a corrupt, depraved 



The Great Tribulation. 69 

and Devil-dominated world, the lusts and crimes of 
which culminate in that which is pronounced by 
the Master and His prophets to be the most fearful 
time of sorrow ever known to earth's inhabitants, 
and His coming follows directly upon the days of 
this tribulation. 

There are those who have contended that the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, by the Roman armies un- 
der Titus, A. D. 70, fulfills the requirements of the 
great tribulation. But this is without warrant, 
yea, even without show of reason, as a brief exam- 
ination of the subject will disclose. Truly those 
were fearful times, especially as depicted by Jose- 
phus, (and yet there are those who strongly resist 
his showing).* 

Even if we concede all that Josephus says, this 
would lack much of being the greatest tribulation 
in the world's history. In many ancient battles, 
according to Biblical and other records, hundreds 
of thousands perished. The vast army of Xerxes 
consisted of from three to four million men, and 
the probability is that many more of them perished 
than were destroyed in the siege of Jerusalem. 
What shall we say of the wars of the Babylonian 

i; Smith's Bible Dictionary, referring- to the enormous ex- 
aggerations of Josephus, well says: The assertions that three 
millions were collected at the Passover, that a million peo- 
ple perished in the siege, that a hundred thousand escaped, 
etc., are so unreasonable that it is surprising that any one 
could ever have repeated them. It is probable that the entire 
force of Titus did not consist of more than thirty thousand 
men, and there could not have been more than sixty thou- 
sand persons in Jerusalem during the siege and sack of the 
city by the Roman army." (J. H. Brooks, in Maranatha). 



70 The Blessed Hope. 



and Persian monarchies? What of the sweeping- 
victories of Rome's bloody hordes, or of Napoleon's 
sanguinary battles? In some single Jewish battles 
as many as 500,000 perished. 

But not in war alone must we seek for the equal 
of the great tribulation, since the declaration of the 
Master is that this time of sorrow exceeds all the 
records of history for anguish and trouble. What 
of the famines that have desolated India and China, 
as well as other lands? As many as thirteen mill- 
ions are said to have died in a single Indian famine. 
The desolations of that impoverished people in the 
past three years have far surpassed the overthrow 
of the city of the Jews. What of the plagues and 
pestilences that have decimated the nations of the 
earth? But not only must these all be eclipsed, 
but even the great flood itself, which left the ante- 
diluvian world in ruins, is to be surpassed by the 
prophesied desolation. 

Who would dare to say that the destruction of a 
city no larger than Jerusalem, whatever the hor- 
rors attending it, would excel in sorrow and suffer- 
ing all the afflictive dispensations of the ages? 

If the following points are observed, it will be 
seen that no visitations or judgments upon Jerusa- 
lem, or any other city, or even nation, could possi- 
bly fulfill our Lord's prediction. 

1. Christ said He would come immediately after 
the tribulation, but He did not so come at or di- 
rectly after the destruction of Jerusalem. If it be 
objected, that His coming was not a personal re- 
turn, but a dire visitation of judgment, and that 
the Roman armies fulfilled the prophetic declara- 



The Great Tribulation. 71 

tion, we reply: Not so; the destruction of the city 
by the Romans, according to this argument, would 
be a tribulation, but observe, His coming was to be 
"after" the tribulation, and not in it. 

2. His coming is to be visible. "They shall 
SEE the Son of man coming in the clouds." Who 
thus saw Him after the destruction of Jerusalem? 
There is not a record, either sacred or profane, of 
such a manifestation. 

3. His angels were to gather His elect from the 
four winds of the heavens, and they were to appear 
with Him. This reminds us of Paul's declaration 
to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 4:16,17), in which 
he gives us a picture of the rising from the dead of 
those "in Christ," and the translation of the holy 
living. No such thing occurred after the destruc- 
tion of the Jewish city. Some came out of their 
graves just after His own resurrection, but the over- 
throw of Jerusalem was nearly forty years later. 

4. The title used is peculiar to Christ — "The 
Son of man." When were Roman or other armies 
ever so designated? Was death ever called by this 
title? I trow not. It is a title pre-empted by the 
Master. We find it occurring quite frequently in 
the gospels, several times in this chapter. It never 
is applied, I believe, to other than the son of Mary. 

5. There are a number of Apocalyptic descrip- 
tions of this fearful period. What is the meaning 
of the locusts; of the pale horse w T ith death and 
hell following; of the great earthquake, when the 
sun became as sackcloth of hair, and the moon be- 
came as blood? (Rev. 6th chapter). What about 
the falling of the stars, the kings and the mighty 



The Blessed Hope. 



men calling for rocks and mountains to fall upon 
them? When is the visitation of the army of two 
hundred millions of horsemen, of whom it is said 
that the heads of the horses are as the heads of 
lions, and out of their mouths shot fire and brim- 
stone? (Rev. 9). These awful plagues are no doubt 
parts of the great tribulation. 

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and 
in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with 
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 

"Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after 
those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers 
of heaven shall be shaken. 

"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud 
with power and great glory." (Luke 21:25-27). 

The destruction of Jerusalem did not, could not, 
result in these awe-inspiring signs involving the 
heavens as well as the earth. It is said, also, that 
men's hearts failed them because of the things 
which are coming upon the earth — not on Jerusa- 
lem simply. By an examination of the twenty- 
fourth verse, it will be found that these direful 
visitations come on the nations after Jerusalem 
shall have been ' 'trodden down of the Gentiles." 
These are mentioned as happening when "the 
times of the Gentiles" shall have been fulfilled. 
Thus we find that Luke agrees with Matthew in 
pointing us to the days of this tribulation as the 
time when we shall see the Son of man coming in 
the clouds. 

6. Redemption at hand. 

"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, 
and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. 

"So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, 
know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." (Luke 
21:28,31). 



The Great Tribulation. 73 

From this Scripture we know that the reference 
was not to the overthrow of the beloved city by the 
armies of Titus; for these were days of sorrow, 
trial, afflictions and anguish, which continued for 
many years, among both Jews and Christians. But 
the scenes of tribulation spoken of by Jesus shall 
be followed by a time of great joy for His ready 
ones. So He bade the disciples look up and rejoice 
when these things come to pass, for their deliver- 
ance is at hand, and the long-looked-for kingdom 
shall then be established. 

7. The time of tribulation is to be followed by 
the Master's glory. He is to be manifested then 
with power and great glory, and with majesty in- 
describable. No one will be so rash as to assert that 
such things happened immediately following the 
destruction of Jerusalem. 

8. As to the kingdom: We all know it was not 
set up at the overthrow of Jerusalem; in fact, it 
has never been set up to this day, in the sense here 
promised (Luke 21:31), as we show in our chapter 
on the kingdom. If it be contended that the domin- 
ion promised is spiritual and invisible, it will not 
alter our proposition, for in this sense it was set up 
long before the desolation of Jerusalem. As to the 
beginning of the Church, or spiritual kingdom, men 
differ; some date it with Abraham, some with John 
the Baptist; others say it began at Pentecost, A.D. 
33. But Jerusalem was overthrown A. D. 70. No 
man, I suppose, will contend that the spiritual 
kingdom had its origin later than Pentecost. Thus 
it antedated the destruction of Jerusalem by more 
than thirty-five years. 



The Blessed Hope. 



But we are not depeudent upon the records of 
Matthew and Luke alone for a knowledge of this 
tribulation period. We find it in various places 
in the Old Testament, to some of which we will 
call the reader's attention: 

9. Daniel's information touching this time. 

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince 
which standeth for the children of thy people: and there 
shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was 
a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy peo- 
ple shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written 
in the book." (Dan. 12:1). 

Observe the following points: (1) This is a time 
of surpassing trouble. (2) It is the time for deliv- 
erance of the Jews, and all who are found written 
in the book. (3) It is the time of the resurrection 
of the holy dead, as set forth in the second verse. 
(See chapter on the resurrections). This agrees 
with Jesus in Matt. 24, verses 29-32. 

"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is 
even the time of Jacob's trouble: but he shall be saved out 
of it. 

"For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of 
hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will 
burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve them- 
selves of him: 

"But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their 
king, whom I will raise up unto them." (Jer. 30:7,8,9). 

Here we have the following points: (1) The day 
of great trouble. "None like it." (2) He shall be 
saved out of it; that is, the Jews as a nation shall 
pass through the tribulation, in which many of them 
shall perish; but they shall obtain mercy and find 
deliverance. (3) Their being trodden down of the 
Gentiles shall cease. The yoke of the "stranger" 



The Great Tribulation. 75 

shall be broken. (4) They shall serve the Lord 
Jesus, who is certainly meant by the term, "David 
their king." (See Luke 1 :32,33). 

10. Again Jeremiah pictures this period of hor- 
ror. See chapter 25:15-33. Observe following 
points: (a) It is upon "all the nations" and "all the 
kingdoms of the world," yea, "upon all the inhab- 
itants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts, (verses 
15,17,26,29). (b) It is so fearful that it makes them 
"a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a 
curse," (verse 18). (c) "Evil shall go forth from 
nation to nation," "and the slain of the Lord shall 
be at that day from one end of the earth even unto 
the other end of the earth, " (verses 32, 33). (d) Now, 
when is all this dire evil to come to pass? It is 
when "The Lord shall roar from on high," when 
"He shall give a shout," (verse 30). Paul shows 
when the Lord gives His shout, viz: "when He 
shall descend from heaven," (1 Thess. 4:16). Thus 
Jeremiah's tribulation prophecy coincides exactly 
with that of Daniel, Christ, Isaiah and Zechariah. 
They all connect it with Christ's return, and thus 
we know it is yet future. 

11. Isaiah 24th. We will not consume space to 
reprint the entire chapter here, but earnestly re- 
quest the reader, Bible in hand, to note the follow- 
ing points: (1) It involves the earth, and not sim- 
ply Jerusalem, nor yet Palestine. Such expres- 
sions as the following carry the mind to the 
horrors of the predicted tribulation: "The Lord 
maketh the earth empty," "waste," "turneth it up- 
side down," "scattereth abroad the inhabitants," 
(verse 1). The land "mourneth," "fadeth away," 



76 The Blessed Hope. 



"languisheth," is "defiled," "they that dwell there- 
in are desolate." "Few men are left," (verses 4-6). 
"Fear and the pit and a snare are upon the inhab- 
itants of the earth." "They glorify the Lord in the 
fires, " (verses 15-17). The earth ' 'is broken down. " 
It reels "to and fro like a drunkard." The Lord 
will punish the "host of the high ones," "the 
kings of the earth," (verses 19-21). "For many 
days shall they be visited." "The Lord of hosts 
shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem," 
"gloriously," (verses 22,23). By the foregoing it 
"will be seen that the great tribulation is world- 
wide, reaching Jew and Gentile, bond and free; 
yea, the very earth itself being involved, and 
mightily shaken, men of all classes being punished 
and terribly afflicted. And yet all this terminates 
in the Lord's glorious reign in Jerusalem. He re- 
lieves the earth of its desolation, and His glory 
banishes the night of its sorrows. 

12. In Zech. 14:1-3 we have the tribulation de- 
picted. The following points the thoughtful reader 
wall readily observe: (1) It is a day of spoils. 
(2) All nations are gathered against Jerusalem, not 
simply the armies of Rome as under Titus, but "the 
nations." (3) The city is taken and severely pun- 
ished. (4) Half of the city go into captivity, but 
the residue are not cut off, but are allowed to re- 
main. It was not so in the former desolation of the 
city. (5) Then the Lord punishes the nations as 
they have punished Jerusalem. Thus the tribula- 
tion begins in another destruction of the unfor- 
tunate city, but extends to all nations. (6) This is 
followed by the appearing of the Lord with all His 



The Great Tribulation, 77 

saints. And the great earthquake splits the Mount 
of Olives, in the heart of which there is left a great 
valley. Will our reader kindly turn to Rev. 6:12 
and 11:13-15. Here will be found the same earth- 
quake in connection with the signs in the heavens 
mentioned by Jesus in Mark 13:24-27. It will also 
be observed that at the time of this seismic con- 
vulsion the kingdoms of the world become the 
kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall 
reign for ever and ever. 

It will be seen in the further study of the pas- • 
sage (Zech. 14) that after the Lord shall come with 
His saints He ''shall be king over all the earth," 
and there shall be no rival gods, for there "shall 
be one Lord and his name one. " This is not the 
end of all things, as many contend, for "Jerusalem 
shall be safely inhabited and men shall dwell in it, 
and there shall be no more utter destruction," 
(verses 9-11). "In that day shall there be upon the 
bells of the horses holiness unto the Lord," (verse 
20). 

But the objector brings forward, "This genera- 
tion shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." 
(Matt. 24:34). The word rendered "generation" is 
"£/enea," and in Acts 14:16 it is rendered "times." 
In the same book (15:21) it is translated "time." 
In Eph. 3:5,21 it is rendered "ages." Adam 
Clark and other scholars have plainly shown that 
it may mean "race," "people," or even an entire 
"age" or "dispensation." Jesus did not say that 
the men living at that time would not die till all 
these things had been accomplished, nor could He 
have made such an assertion, for it would not have 



The Blessed Hope. 



fitted the facts in the case. The people then living 
have all died, but many of the things prophesied 
have not yet been fulfilled. But the passage is 
true; it applied to the children of Israel. The Jews 
as a people have not passed away; they yet main- 
tain their racial identity, and this tells the mean- 
ing of the Master. This will fit in with the facts; 
the application of the prophecy to men then living 
will not. 

We are at last nearing the period of the great 
tribulation. Just beyond this dark cloud the hori- 
zon is lit with the radiant glory of our coming 
King. Let us lay aside the garments of sin and 
put on the beautiful robes of holiness. 

"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, 
and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see 
his shame." (Rev. 16:15). 



The Resurrections. 79 



The Resurrections. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The doctrine of the resurrection, like other 
truth, is gradually unfolded in the Word. Gleams 
of light break over the hopes of men adown the 
ages, pointing to life out of death. 

Job, in holy expectancy, exclaimed: "I know 
that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand 
at the latter day upon the earth (thus He saw the 
Redeemer on earth at the time of the end); and 
though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet 
in my flesh shall I see God," (Job 19:25,26). And 
David declared: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in 
hell" — the grave, (Ps. 16:10). Isaiah prophesies; 
"Thy dead men shall live," (Isa. 26:19). Daniel, 
also, speaking of the waking of the sleepers, says: 
"Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth 
shall awake," (Dan. 12:2). 

It was doubtless to foster this hope that the dead 
were sometimes raised by the prophets, as in the 
case of the child of the Shunemmite woman (2 
Kings 4), and the dead man who was brought to 
life when his bones came in contact with the de- 
ceased body of the prophet, (2 Kings 13:21). A 
resurrection picture is that of the valley of dry 
bones, in the prophecy of Ezekiel. We notice the 
promise of a resurrection along with the restora- 



80 Tlie Blessed Hope. 



tion of Israel. Whether this is a literal raising of 
the dead, or simply a national revivication, is a 
question difficult of solution. We shall not enter 
into it at present. It nevertheless certainly en- 
courages the hope of a rising from the dead. 

The Jews as a people were divided in their views 
on this subject. The Sadducees were materialists, 
denying a future life; on the other hand, the Phari- 
sees, who were more orthodox, believed in the 
resurrection. (Matt, 22:23-32 and Acts 23:6-9). 
Paul, we remember, asserted the orthodoxy of the 
Pharisees on this issue, saying, "Themselves also 
allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, 
both of the just and unjust." (Acts 24:15). 

Christ set forth this doctrine clearly in speaking 
to the comfort of Martha (John 11:22-26). He pro- 
claimed Himself the author of the resurrection, 
exemplifying it by the raising of Lazarus, the wid- 
ow's son, and the daughter of Jairus. (John 
11:43,44; Mark 5:39-42; Luke 7:11-15; 8:49-55). 

But the crowning act of the Master was in lay- 
ing down His life and taking it again. His own 
resurrection, together with "Many bodies of the 
saints which slept" (Matt. 27:52,53), fully con- 
firmed all He had said touching this question. His 
enemies were careful to have the tomb sealed and 
well guarded, to prevent the rising which He had 
foretold; but vain were their efforts, for death and 
corruption could not restrain the Lord of life and 
glory. He who had snatched other victims from 
the grave was more than a match for the grim 
enemy. Even death the conqueror shall be de- 
stroyed by Him who has the keys of hell, and is 



SOME FAITHFUL, EARNEST ADVOCATES OF THE 
BLESSED HOPE. 




D. L. MOODY. GEORGE MULLER. 

A. B. SIMPSON. H. L. HASTINGS. 

CHAS. H. SPURGEON. 



The Resurrections. 81 

Himself the resurrection and the life (1 Cor. 15:25, 
26; Rev. 1:18; John 11:25). 

The disciples were held to account for preaching 
"Jesus and the resurrection" (Acts 17:18), but this 
doctrine has fought its way to victory, and is to- 
day conceded by all evangelical Christendom. 

We come now to the presentation of a phase of 
the subject which in some localities is controverted. 
To many, especially to those who have not care- 
fully studied the subject, the resurrection is sup- 
posed to be completed in one grand event, comprised, 
in a simultaneous rising from the grave of earth's, 
myriads, good and bad alike. But to our mind 
there is nothing more clearly taught in the Scrip- 
tures than a 

TWO-FOLD RESURRECTION. 

Men quibble at this, and many objections have 
been raised to it. The doctrine, however, is one 
that is dependent upon Revelation. It cannot be 
settled by the dictum of science, the conclusions of 
logic, the authority of human creeds, or the learned 
opinions of men, dead or alive; but it must be 
brought to the arbitrament of ' 'the law and the testi- 
mony" (Isa. 8:20). If a two-fold resurrection is 
taught in the Scriptures, human objections have no 
force, since God alone can reveal that which shall 
be. 

I. In his matchless treatise on this subject, Paul 
has forever and definitely settled the position we 
have assumed. He says, "As in Adam all die, sa 
also in Christ shall all be made alive." "But each 
in his own rank, Christ the first fruits, then those 

6 



82 The Blessed Hope. 

that are Christ's at his coming, then the end, when 
he shall have delivered up the kingdom to him who 
is the Father, when he shall have annulled all rule 
and all authority and power/' (1 Cor. 15:22-24). 

The word rendered "rank" in this translation is 
"tagmati" and means a company, or regiment. It 
is also rendered "order." The picture is that of 
an army moving forth in regiments, and the point 
is, the dead shall rise in companies or ranks, ac- 
cording to their deservings. 

A post- millennial writer has striven hard to prove 
that the word "then," in the expression "thencom- 
eth the end," means immediately. We would call 
his attention to the fact that this word has prac- 
tically the same force as the word translated 
"afterward" in the same verse. The two words 
are "ei£a" and "epeita" and have been rendered by 
the one word "then" by scholars. So it would 
read, "Christ the first fruits; then those that are 
Christ's at his coming; then cometh the end." 
Now, we know that "epeita" rendered "then," or 
"afterward," as in the common version, covers the 
nearly nineteen centuries since the resurrection of 
Christ. Why, then, might not the "eita," also 
translated "then," cover a thousand years or more 
in the second instance? 

Christ Himself was raised more than eighteen 
centuries ago; shortly afterward many others came 
forth from their graves. At His return those that 
are His shall arise from the dead ; but before the 
others are raised He must have time to subject all 
enemies, which shall be accomplished during the 
thousand years, at the close of which the remain- 



The Resurrections. 83 



der of the dead shall be called forth to judgment. 
The distinctions are clearly made, (a) Christ was 
raised, (b) At His coming those that are His will 
be called from their tombs, (c) The next resurrec- 
tion will be for the judgment of the great white 
throne. But John was distinctly shown that a 
thousand years would intervene between the two. 

II. The Master confirms this argument in His 
encouragement of those who care for the poor. He 
says, "Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrec- 
tion of the just." (Luke 14:14). This reminds us 
of His promise of reward at His coming. (Rev. 
22:12). 

III. Again, He speaks of the class who "shall be 
accounted worthy to obtain that 'world' (age or dis- 
pensation) and the resurrection which is from 
among the dead." (Luke 20:35). In this pregnant 
utterance He opens to us the fact that some will 
come forth from among the dead, while others who 
are not worthy of this glory shall abide their time. 
They will be raised, but not to His glory and honor; 
this shall be conferred upon those who are allowed 
to participate in the first resurrection. 

IV. St. Paul evidently had this in mind when he 
spoke of the fellowship of Christ's sufferings and 
conformity to His death, "If by any means I may 
arrive at the resurrection from among the dead." 
The critic may reply that we are not following the 
King James Version. Very true, but we are giving 
the rendering which all critical research sustains. 
"The Greek phrase is 'teen exanastasin teen ek 
nekron, and the literal translation is 'the out resur- 
rection from among the dead,' which peculiar 



84 The Blessed Hope. 

construction of language gives a special emphasis 
to the idea that this is a resurrection, out from 
among the dead, Our version renders it 'resurrec- 
tion of the dead,' which is especially wrong, for 
the Greek preposition ek occurs here in a duplicate 
form, in all the oldest manuscripts." — W, E. 
Blackstone. 

Rev. J. H, Brookes makes the following comment 
upon this passage: 

"The Greek word for resurrection is Anastasis, 
but here the apostle actually invents a new word to 
set forth this distinct resurrection unto which he 
desired to attain. It is composed of the ordinary 
word, Anastasis, together with the preposition ek 
or ex, which, as already stated, means 'out of, from, 
or from among.' Not only so, but the article 'the' 
is repeated after this compound and unusual word, 
and followed by the preposition ek again. Hence 
a literal rendering of the passage is as follows: 'If 
by any means I might attain unto the out resurrec- 
tion (or, as we might say, the elect resurrection), 
the one, or that one, from among the dead." 

In vindication of the foregoing we offer this 
thought: If we follow the common version it will 
land us in materialism. To insist that Paul was 
striving, "If by any means he might attain unto the 
resurrection of the dead, " would force us to the con- 
clusion that he would not be raised at all unless he 
should strive; then what becomes of the sinner, the 
lukewarm church member, and all other indifferent 
people? They do not strive for a resurrection, and 
hence they would never be raised. The conclusion 
is inevitable — they would not rise from the dead, 



The Resurrections. 85 



since only those will be raised who strive for it. 
But this would drive us to the doctrine of condi- 
tional immortality and would contradict the doc- 
trine of Christ, of Paul, and of other Gospel writers, 
who tell us that, "As in Adam all die, so in Christ 
shall all be made alive/' That some shall come 
forth "unto a resurrection of life, and others to a 
resurrection of damnation," and that "the dead, 
small and great, shall stand before God" (1 Cor. 
15:22; John 5:29; Rev. 20:12). 

The apostle's intense desire for a resurrection 
from among the dead sustains our position that 
there is a resurrection unto honor and glory, in 
which those will not participate who do not seek 
after it — strive for it. To be on a stretch for a 
resurrection which comes alike to all seems un- 
necessary; but if we may not be raised without 
striving, then the resurrection is clearly condi- 
tional, and the bulk of humanity will miss it alto- 
gether. But when we recognize two resurrections, 
differing in time and circumstances, we can see 
why our great apostle should bend his energies 
that he might attain unto that which brings with 
it honor and glory — "the out resurrection, which is 
from among the dead ones." 

The force of this expression, exanastasis. ek ton 
nekron, out of, or out from among, the dead, may 
be seen in various places in the New Testament. 
It is used in whole or in part in nearly if not all 
those passages which speak of the resurrection of 
Jesus. For example, see the Greek in the follow- 
ing: "Jesus showed himself to the disciples, after 
that he was risen from the dead" (Jno. 21:14). 



The Blessed Hope. 



"They preached through Jesus the resurrection 
which is from among the dead" (Acts 4:2). "But 
now Christ has been raised from among the dead" 
(1 Cor. 15:20). "According to the working of his 
mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when 
he raised him from among the dead" (Eph. 1:20). 
' 'Who is the beginning, the firstborn from among 
the dead" (Col. 1:18). "Ye are risen with him 
through the faith of the working of God, who hath 
raised him from among the dead" (Col. 2:12). "To 
wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from 
among the dead" (1 Thess. 1:10). "Who hath be- 
gotten us again to a living hope, through the resur- 
rection of Jesus Christ from among the dead" (1 Pet. 
1:3). "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first- 
born from among the dead" (Rev. 1:5). 

Now we know, apart from the study of the words 
used in the original, that the translation here given 
in each of these passages conveys the truth, be- 
cause Jesus was literally and emphatically raised 
from among the dead; i. e., He came out of the 
grave, while others remained, and they continue 
there to this day. In like manner, His holy sleep- 
ers shall come forth at His call from among the 
dead — leaving others behind for a resurrection 
unto shame at the end of the thousand years. 

V. Again, this truth is illustrated by the regen- 
eration of believers. Through faith they are born 
again, "that like as Christ was raised up from 
among the dead by the glory of the Father, so also 
we should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4), 
Paul makes this use of the idea when he speaks to 
the Colossians about being "risen with Christ" 



The Resurrections, 87 



(3:1), and exhorts the saints at Rome to not yield 
their members up to the lusts of the flesh, but 
"yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive 
from among the dead" (Rom. 6:13). Sinners are 
not all raised to newness of life, and hence those; 
who exercise faith are raised up from among them,, 
and this truly exemplifies the resurrection of the; 
holy ones — the Master's sheep, who know His- 
"voice" and will come at His call (Jno. 10:4), even 
from among the sleepers in the dark caverns of the 
tomb. 

VI. The doctrine of a first resurrection is also set 
forth by the apostle in the following: 

"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that 
we which are alive and remain unto the coming- of the Lord 
shall not prevent (precede, go before) them which are asleep. 

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a 
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump 
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

''Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up 
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the 
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thess. 
4:15-17). 

In the passage before us there is no provision 
made for the resurrection of any but those that 
"are asleep in Jesus." An opponent of the doc- 
trine for which we are contending has dwelt at 
length upon the fact that the word "first" contrasts 
the resurrection of the dead in Christ, not with the 
rest of the dead, but with the translation of the 
holy living. Certainly. But we notice that fol- 
lowing the raising of the holy dead comes no rais- 
ing of sinners, but the translation of those ready 
to meet Him from among the living. The holy liv- 
ing are to be caught up, while the unprepared 



The Blessed Hope. 



are left to the terrors of the great tribulation 
(Rev. 6:13-17). In like manner the holy dead are 
raised, while the others await the judgment of the 
great white throne" (Rev. 20). The ascending 
ones are the elect — the called out, in each case, 
some being left behind who were among the living, 
and some who were numbered with the dead. 

"But," cries the objector, "did not Jesus say, 
*Every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on 
him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him 
up at the last day;' and does this not overthrow 
the idea of a first resurrection, by showing that 
none are raised till 'the last day?' ' This seems a 
plausible objection. But it was with reference to 
the Lord's coming and the attending judgment, that 
Peter said, "one day is with the Lord as a thou- 
sand years, and a thousand years as one day" 
(2 Pet. 3:8-10). All these events — the judgment 
and both resurrections —occur on "the last day," 
but it continues for ten centuries. The saints are 
raised in the dawn of this judgment day, the "rest 
of the dead" in the fading twilight. (See next 
chapter). 

VII. We come now to the investigation of the 
twentieth chapter of the Revelation, in which the 
doctrine of a first resurrection is explicitly set 
forth. To it we must devote a chapter. 



Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter. 89 



Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter. 



CHAPTER VII. 

We trust our reader will study this chapter care- 
fully for himself in connection with our comments. 
It will be well to read it in the Revised Version, or 
better still, in the original, if possible. 

The coming of the Lord is set forth in the pre- 
ceding chapter (19), where He is seen riding out of 
heaven on His white horse, followed by the armies 
of heaven (verses 11-14). The occasion is the mar- 
riage of the Lamb, over which there is great ex- 
ultation (verses 7,8). At the same time the great 
tribulation occurs, in which the bodies of men and 
beasts are turned over to the fowls of heaven 
(verses 17-18). The beast (anti-Christ) and the 
-false prophet are cast into the lake of fire, and 
their followers are slain with the sword of the 
conquering Leader (verses 20,21). Then follows 
our lesson, Christ having taken the world from un- 
der the dominion of Satan who himself shall be in- 
carcerated in the dungeon of the abyss. Accord- 
ingly the great angel seizes him as a criminal and 
thrusts him into the dungeon, for a period of a 
thousand years. He has been the world's destroyer 
from the time when Adam lost Eden; now he him- 
self is an unwilling prisoner at the hands of God's 
angel-sheriff. For once the world has a breathing 



90 Tlie Blessed Hope. 

spell, a freedom from his pestiferous presence. 
Blessed riddance! 

At this juncture the Master takes up the reins of 
universal empire, in the administration of which 
He is to be assisted by the holy ones who in the 
past have proved true to Him. The living are 
translated (1 Thess. 4:16). The holy martyrs, to- 
gether with those who have not received the mark 
of the beast, are raised from the dead and crowned 
heirs of the kingdom. This is declared to be the 
first resurrection; that is, first of a general charac- 
ter. Christ had been raised and had brought with 
Him samples of His victory over death. But this 
resurrection includes all those who are worthy to 
be accounted king-rulers with Himself. 

There are those who deny the literalness of this 
resurrection. S. Williston says: "The first resur- 
rection is wholly spiritual (italics his), being intend- 
ed to describe a moral change of our world.'' (Mil- 
lennial Discourses, page 40). 

G. W. Wilson, another post-millennial writer, 
says: "The taking of the souls of the martyrs and 
placing them on the throne was the first resurrec- 
tion, and restoring Satan to power by his deception 
to deceive the nations 'was the being restored to the 
living again.'' (Italics his). In both cases it was 
the cause they stood for that was resurrected, and 
not the bodies of the individuals who had been 
slain for the cause they represented." (The Signs 
of Thy Coming, page 15). 

The cause represented by these dear brethren 
must be very weak, judging from the straits to 
which they are driven in its defense. Here we 



Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter. 91 

have a plain account of the closing period of the 
present dispensation, together with a brief account 
of the "thousand years" period, to which is added 
the white throne judgment; that is, the judgment 
of the Great Day. But these writers would rob the 
whole picture of any literal significance. 

They spiritualize the rising from the dead of all 
classes, and render this great picture of the judg- 
ment a mere figure of speech. Such exegesis 
would despoil the Bible of all prophetic and in- 
spired significance, and would leave humanity a 
prey to the mere caprices of men. If the position 
defined by our brother Wilson be maintained, it 
will clearly land us in Spiritualism. Who but a. 
spiritualistic medium would place disembodied 
souls on the throne of universal empire? We are 
aware that the passage uses the term "souls," but 
it does not enthrone them. They are first seen in 
their disrobed condition. John says, "They lived 
again." What did their death mean, but simply 
the laying aside of their bodies? And what did 
their living again mean, but the restoration of their 
bodies to life, as over against their death? 

Again, this term "souls" is used quite frequently 
in the Scriptures to represent men in their bodies. 
Three thousand "souls" were added to the church 
(Acts 2:41). Seventy-five "souls" went with Jacob 
into Epypt (Acts 7:14). Two hundred and seventy- 
six "souls" were with Paul on the ship (Acts 27:37). 
Eight "souls" were delivered from the flood by 
Noah's ark (1 Pet. 3:20). So we see that the play 
upon the word "souls," indulged in by some who 
taboo the idea of souls seated upon thrones, is a. 



92 The Blessed Hojie. 

mere quibble, especially when the inspired writer 
tells us that they who were martyred "lived again;" 
i. e. , were restored to life. 

Again, if this is simply a spiritual reviving, what 
does it accomplish? It does not save sinners. For 
the subjects of it are only martyrs, and those who 
have not received the mark of the beast. For "the 
rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand 
years were finished." Hence, our friends, in their 
efforts to explain away the literal first resurrection 
by one that is wholly spiritual, attempt to have the 
whole world converted by a theory which plainly 
declares that none are saved except those who were 
previously the holiest among men. They make no 
provision for the conversion of drunkards, harlots, 
libertines, gamblers or other sinners, for the plain 
declaration is that the rest of the dead lived not 
again for a thousand years. Only holy ones, mar- 
tyrs and those of like spirit, are subjects of this 
rising again. They are supplanting a literal rais- 
ing of the dead saints by a resurrection, or regen- 
eration, of those who are saints to begin with. 

Furthermore, if this be a spiritual millennium, 
only those who shall have died before it began will 
be allowed to participate, since those who have 
never died are not martyrs. But sinners who need 
the spiritual resurrection, or regeneration, are not 
competent to receive it, having never been martyrs. 
But the passage is not subject to any such restric- 
tions. The holy living upon earth shall have the 
full benefits of this blessed privilege, while the 
holy dead of all ages, coming forth from their 
graves, will share in its happiness. 



Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter. 93 

According to the theory we are opposing, none 
of the sinners will be changed during the thousand 
"years/' only martyrs, and those who have not re- 
ceived the mark of the beast. They will all, how- 
ever, be changed at its close. None but martyrs 
and other holy ones lived during this period, but 
the rest of the dead lived when the chiliad ends. 

By our opponents' way of putting the case, no 
sinners are converted while Satan is bound, and 
all of them are saved when he is loosed. Truly,. 
" the legs of the lame are not equal." 

That noted scholar, Dean Alford, in his com- 
ments at this place says: "As regards the text 
itself,- no legitimate treatment of it will extort 
what is known as the spiritual interpretation now 

in fashion If the first resurrection is spiritual, 

then so is the second, which I suppose no one will 
be hardy enough to maintain. But if the second 
is literal, so is the first, which, in common with the 
primitive, and many of the best modern expositors, 
I do maintain, and receive as an article of faith 
and hope." He and others testify that those who 
lived next to the apostles, and the whole Church 
for three hundred years, understood this subject 
in the plain, literal sense. Again, we argue the 
literal resurrection from this passage because of 
the force of the original word anastasis, which is 
seldom, if ever, used, in any other sense than to 
represent a resurrection. "The word here ren- 
dered 'resurrection' is more th.an forty times used 
in the New Testament and four times in the 
Apocalypse, and always in the one only sense of 
rising again of the body, for it alone is under the 



94 The Blessed Hoj)e. 



power of death. The emphasizing of it as a 
resurrection cannot, with any degree of propriety, 
be understood of any mere metaphorical or sym- 
bolical rising. The placing of it as 'a first' in a 
category of two resurrections, the second of which 
is explicitly stated to be a literal rising again of 
such as were not raised in the 'first,' fixes the sense 
to be a literal resurrection." (Lectures on the 
Apocalypse, Vol. Ill,, page 317). 

Here is, first, the vision of disembodied souls, 
then of their reanimation. This reanimation must 
mean a literal rising from the dead, for the two 
words employed in the passage puts the matter 
beyond dispute. « ' They lived"— ezesan— is language 
which is never, in the New Testament, applied to 
the soul disembodied, but to man in his complete 
condition of body and soul united; and "This is the 
first resurrection." Anastasis defines this living 
to be bodily reanimation, since the word in the 
New Testament, with perhaps a single exception, 
always signifies corporeal resurrection, so that the 
phraseology employed seems to render it impossi- 
ble to apply the vision to a condition of disembodied 
existence, or to the quickening of spiritual regen- 
eration" (Ecce Venit, pages 218, 219). 

Moreover, we read, ''They lived and reigned 
with Christ." How can principles live and reign, 
or how can a revival of spirituality be used, and 
made to represent kings and priests unto God? 
Spiritual revivals are generally gradual in their 
beginning, and, we believe, are, without exception, 
gradual in their decline. But this is definite in its 
beginning and in its end. Simply a period of one 



Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter. 95 

thousand years — no more, no less. If the mil- 
lennium is simply a triumph of righteous principles, 
what does the binding of Satan stand for? What 
is the meaning of his being "loosed for a little 
season?" What, also, shall we understand by the 
falling away of men, the number of whom is as the 
sands of the sea? What is the fire that destroyed 
them? What is the meaning of Satan being cast 
into the lake of fire? What is the purport of the 
dead, small and great, standing before God to be 
judged? How are we to know that the dead are to 
receive their final destiny as set forth in the closing 
verses of this chapter, if we consent to spiritualize 
away the first six verses? Truly, we have no sig- 
nificance in all the prophecies if we are to turn 
over this plain passage to those who would warp 
and twist its revealment to suit their individual 
whims. 



THINGS TAUGHT IN THIS CHAPTER AND 
KINDRED PASSAGES. 

The reader of this book should bear in mind the 
following points: First, the kingdom of our Lord 
abides forever (Dan. 2:44; 7:18). Second, the 
thousand years of this chapter is a judgment day 
period. It is a time of renovation. Third, it is to 
be followed by a new heaven and a new earth, 
wherein dwelleth righteousness. Fourth, one day 
with the Lord is as a thousand years (2 Pet. 3:8). 



96 TJie Blessed Hope. 

And this is the judgment day. Fifth, at the be- 
ginning of this day Christ comes, Satan is bound, 
the saints are raised and unite with Christ in 
the ruling of the nations (Isa. 32:1; Psa. 2:8,9) 
Sixth, the whole world is brought under the benefi- 
cent rule of God. The gospel is preached through- 
out the earth, most of whose inhabitants are truly 
converted, but many of whom are simply restrained 
by authority. Seventh, Satan is loosed at the 
end of the thousand years for the purpose of 
sifting men, to see who will prove true to God. 
Many will join him in rebellion; in fact, all who 
are not rooted and grounded in God. Eighth, this 
ends his work. He is again arrested and sum- 
marily dealt with, being cast into the lake of eternal 
burnings. Ninth, fire falls from heaven, as men- 
tioned in the third chapter of second Peter, and the 
elements melt with fervent heat. Tenth, then is ful- 
filled the picture set forth by Jesus (Matt. 25: 
31-46). The dead, small and great, stand before God. 
Sinners of all ages and nations take their places at 
His left hand; while those who were saved but not 
prepared for the first resurrection, being unfit for 
rulership, and all who have died during the thou- 
sand years, in the love of God, take their places 
at His right hand. Eleventh, the old order of 
things passes away in the general conflagration of 
that day. All earth's sicknesses, pestilences, hor- 
rors, trials, poverty and heartaches, along with its 
thrones and powers, and old death itself, the chief 
enemy of man, pass away. The earth, made new, 
arrayed with dazzling splendor and indescribable 
beauty, becomes the resident place of the race re- 



R( relation, the Twentieth Chapter. 97 

deemed. The earth will continue to be the habita- 
tion of man as if the first Eden had never been for- 
feited by sin. (See our chapter on The Kingdom.) 

OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 

The ground upon which we have entered has 
long been the battlefield of theologians. There 
are many who utterly repudiate the idea of a 
"first" and a second or subsequent resurrection. 
They insist that there is but one, and that all the 
dead are raised simultaneously. Rev. G. W. 
Wilson, in his book, "The Sign of Thy Coming," 
trying to overthrow the doctrine of the first resur- 
rection, insists that the whole of the Apocalypse 
is a book of symbols, and that it was all fulfilled in 
the first century of the Christian era, and he thus is 
led to assert that "the book of Revelation is utterly 
silent as to the end of all things" (page 289). In 
fact, there are writers who, rather than concede 
the teaching of the Apocalypse as to the return of 
Jesus, and the overthrow of His enemies and the 
ultimate establishment of His kingdom in the earth, 
have gone «to the extreme of utterly repudiating 
the book of Revelation and discarding it from 
the canon of Scripture. Thus post-millennialism 
would mutilate the Bible, and destroy the book 
which reveals our Lord in His kingly character, and 
upon the study and keeping of which He has placed 
great reward. 

But the opponents of the first resurrection claim 
to have Scripture for their teaching. Let us ex- 
amine the passages most commonly put forth by 
them. 

7 



98 The Blessed Hope. 

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall 
awake, some to everlasting- life, and some to shame and ever- 
lasting contempt." (Dan. 12:2). 

The contention is, that the resurrection here 
spoken of is universal, because some come forth 
to life and some to shame and contempt. If their 
position is well taken, why should the verse begin 
v^ith the word "many?" If the resurrection here 
announced is universal, we should have the word 
"all'' in the place of "many." If from among a 
multitude I assert that many are raised, the infer- 
ence is that there are others that are not raised. 
And if I mean that all are to rise I should not use 
this term. 

But to set this matter forth in its clearest light, 
we give our readers the benefit of the translation 
of the learned Tregelles: "The many from among 
the sleepers of the dust shall awake; these shall 
be unto everlasting life, but those (the rest of the 
sleepers, those who do not awake at this time) 
shall be unto shame and everlasting contempt." 
He adds that ' 'The word which in our Authorized 
Version is twice rendered 'some,' is never repeated 
in any other passage in the Hebrew Bible, of taking 
up distributively any general class which had been 
previously mentioned; this is enough, I believe, to 
warrant our applying it here to the whole of the 
many who awake, and second to the mass of those 
who do not awake at this time, and it is clearly not a 
general resurrection; it is 'many from among,' and 
it is only by taking the word in this sense that we 
gain any information as to what becomes of those 
who continue to sleep in the dust of the earth." 



Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter. 99 

In support of his position, he quotes two of the 
most learned Jewish Rabbis, Saadiah Haggaon, in 
the tenth century, and Aben Ezra, in the twelfth. 
He afterward says that this translation as given is 
undoubtedly correct, as affirmed by Gerard Kerk- 
herdere. 

Thus our position is fully maintained by these 
weighty names. They teach us that the resurrec- 
tion spoken of by Daniel is clearly double. From 
this Scripture we learn (1) That immediately suc- 
ceeding the great tribulation comes the deliverance 
of Daniel's people, the Jews (verse 1), and the res- 
urrection of those who are unto everlasting life 
through grace. (2) Those who are not then raised 
remain to the final resurrection, viz., that of the 
"great white throne judgment," when they shall 
be called forth to shame and contempt — the resur- 
rection unto damnation. Gordon well says :. ' 'Here, 
if our authorities are correct, we have an idea of 
the first resurrection with its eclectic and separate 

character set forth." (Ecce Venit, page 

225). 

II. John 5:28,29. This Scripture is used by post- 
millennialists as a regular Gibraltar. Their forces 
may be found here in great numbers. They dw T ell 
much upon the word "hour," and insist that the 
good and evil of all ages will pour forth from their 
graves en masse. If this Scripkire stood alone, 
and was the only revelation on the subject of the 
resurrection, we might safely concede their demand, 
but when we have a plain and explicit declaration 
that there is a "first resurrection," in which only 
the holy have part, while "the rest of the dead 

Lore- 



100 TJie Blessed Hope. 

live not again till the thousand years" expire, it 
behooves us to investigate the meaning of the pas- 
sage lest we jump to a premature conclusion. We 
know that the word "day" is frequently used to 
represent an extended period of time. How often; 
in common speech and literature, we find the ex- 
pressions, "our day" and "their day," so used as 
to cover a period that may extend over centuries. 

Furthermore, the six creative days are well nigh 
universally conceded to represent periods of vast 
length, perhaps thousands of years in each "day." 

The word "hour" itself is so used in the Scrip- 
tures, even as the term "day," but three verses 
preceding the passage we are commenting upon. 
The Master says: 

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and 
now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of 
God: and they that hear shall live." (John 5:25). 

If the living of the dead, in this connection, 
refers to spiritual life, the "hour" is not yet ended, 
for men are still called unto the life of Christ. If 
the reference is the resurrection of the dead, the 
"hour" which the Master said "now is," is cer- 
tainly not completed, for while a few were raised 
immediately after his own resurrection, yet the 
general resurrection, for all the dead, has not yet 
occurred. Hence this hour is more than eighteen 
centuries in length by either mode of interpre- 
tation. 

Saint John also uses this word just as Jesus did. 
"Little children, it is the last hour, according as 
ye have heard, that the anti-Christ is coming, even 



Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter. 101 

now many anti-Christs have arisen, whence we 
know that it is the last HOUR." In the Common 
Version the Greek word "Ora" is rendered "time," 
but we have given a literal translation. Such is the 
Greek, and it is the same in all these places. (John 5 : 
26-28; 1 John 2:18). So, more than eighteen hun- 
dred years ago, the beloved John said: "It is the 
last hour. " Truly, it is rather a long hour, and yet it 
is the declaration of an inspired writer. Now, if 
the "hour" of the anti-Christ may continue for 
eighteen centuries, I can see no reason why the 
"hour" of the resurrection, when "all that are in 
their tombs shall hear His voice and come forth," 
may not cover a yet shorter period, viz. , one of ten 
centuries. 

From a popular writer we have the following: 
"At the appearance of the Lord from heaven, the 
age will open in which all that are in their graves 
will come forth, but some at the beginning and 
some at the end of the age." 

III. 

u When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all 
the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne 
of his glory: 

"And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he 
shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth 
his sheep from the goats." (Matt. 25:31,32). 

Here, says the objector, we have the dead, small 
and great, standing before God, and being sepa- 
rated, the holy from the unholy. Very true, but 
this is that judgment which Christ has set forth 
in the twentieth chapter of the Revelation, where 
it occurs at the end of the one thousand years 
(verses 8-15). But, says the objector, this is 



102 The Blessed Hope. 

1 'when the Son of man shall come, and shall sit 
upon the throne of His glory." Certainly; it is a 
scene in the drama connected with His coming. 
But remember, the judgment day covers a period 
of a thousand years, and the little season beyond. 
The millennium is a period devoted to the judg- 
ment of the living nations; after which Satan, 
being loosed, raises an insurrection, which termi- 
nates in his incarceration, the destruction of his 
allies, and the final judgment of the dead. This 
includes all who die during the millennium, and the 
wicked of all ages. But His saint-rulers are not 
in it, for they have been with Him in His glory 
during the entire millennial era. 

A concert is advertised, in which the rendering 
of Haydn's "Messiah" is promised. A country- 
man brings his family to the performance, with 
special reference to this great chorus. He sits for 
an hour while many other scenes are being en- 
acted, when, suddenly rising, he leaves the place, 
declaring the concert a fraud, saying that he had 
gone especially to hear the Messiah, and it had not 
been rendered. He barely passes the door when 
the great chorus breaks upon the air; the promise 
is fulfilled; the curtain falls, and the concert is 
ended. Our friend left too soon. In connection 
with His coming, our Saviour promises the gather- 
ing of the dead, small and great, before Him for 
judgment. To His beloved disciple He reveals 
that the charter members of His kingdom will be 
raised at the beginning of this resurrection "hour;" 
and will join with Him in the shepherdizing of the 
nations of the earth for a chiliad] after which the 



Revelation , the Twentieth Chapter. 103 

rest of the dead shall be called before Him. Thus 
we see that the twentieth chapter of the Revelation 
becomes the key to the judgment scene, as recorded 
in Matt. 25:31-46. 
IV. 

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; 
in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and 
the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and 
the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet. 3:10). 

The opposer of the first resurrection considers 
this an entire refutation of our doctrine. He con- 
tends that there is no time for a thousand years' 
reign upon earth, since Peter has declared that in 
the day of the Lord the elements shall melt with 
fervent heat. In answer, we call attention to the 
eighth verse of the same chapter. The apostle 
warns us against depending upon the twenty-four 
hour theory of the judgment day. 

"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one 
day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand 
years as one day" (verse 8). 

We are notified that this day of judgment shall 
cover a period of a thousand years. Now, if the 
reader will turn to our key (Rev. 20), he will find 
Christ and His saints judging the nations of earth 
for a period of ten centuries, while Satan is bound 
in the abyss. It is after his being loosed for a ' 'little 
season" that fire falls from heaven, the elements 
melt, and the old earth gives place to the new. 

V. 

;, I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus 
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his ap- 
pearing and his kingdom" (2 Tim. 4:1). 



104 The Blessed Hope. 

It is argued from this Scripture that the judg- 
ment of all the dead is synchronous, and transpires 
immediately upon Christ's appearing. But this 
does not follow of necessity. The Greek word 
kata, rendered "at" in the King James, may be 
translated "according to," and it is so put in some 
versions. The force of the argument is this: He 
will, when He appears, inaugurate a kingdom by 
the principles of which He will in due time judge 
both the living and the dead; or if this point be 
repudiated, He will at His appearing inaugurate 
the judgment of "first," the living, and "second," 
the dead. The passage says nothing as to the 
consummation of this judgment. 

That will be a glorious time when Christ and His 
saints of the first resurrection take the dominion. 
We close this chapter with the following wonderful 
description of the glorious event: 

The completion of this resurrection introduces a 
wonderful change in the earth's history. It is the 
breaking through of an immortal power; a power 
which sweeps away as chaff before the wind the 
whole economy of mortal and Dragon rule, and 
thrusts to death and Hades every one found rising 
up or stiffening himself against it; a power which 
shears the old Serpent of his strength, binds him 
with a great chain, locks and seals him up in the 
Abyss, pulls down all his works, tears off and 
clears away all his hoary falsehoods, which have 
been oppressing, deceiving, misleading and sway- 
ing the world to its destruction for so many ages; 
a power which gives to the nations new, just and 
righteous laws, in the administration of immortal 



Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter. 105 

rulers, whose good and holy commands men must 
obey or die; a power which at once cuts the cords 
of life for every dissembling Ananias and Sapphira, 
blasts every Nadab and Abihu that ventures to 
offer strange fires before the Lord, consigns to 
death and burning every Achan that covets the 
Babylonish garment or wedge of gold which God 
hath pronounced accursed, and causeth the earth 
to- open her mouth and swallow up on the spot 
every Korah, Dathan, and Abiram that dares to 
open his mouth against the authority of the holy 
princes whom Jehovah hath ordained; a power 
which grasps hold of the plethoric fortunes accu- 
mulated in meanness and oppression, and held in 
greedy avarice for the pampering of lust and 
pride, hewing them down in righteousness and 
scattering them in restitutions to those out of whom 
they have been so uncharitably and dishonestly 
ground and wrung; a power which goes forth in 
vindication of the worthy poor, the oppressed, the 
weak, the friendless, and the down- trodden, the 
righting of their cause, the maintenance of their 
just claims, and the enforcement of truth and 
brotherhood between man and man; a power which 
lifts the mask from deceit, pretense and false show, 
puts each one in his true place according to what he 
is, gives credit only where credit is due, stamps an ef- 
fectual condemnation on all false weights and meas- 
ures, and tries everything and everybody in the bal- 
ances of a strict and invincible justice. I think of the 
coming in of that power, of the havoc it must needs 
make in the whole order of things; of the confusion 
it will cause in the depraved cabinets, and courts, 



106 The Blessed Hope. 

and legislatures of the world, of the revolution it 
must work in business customs, in corporation 
managements, in political manipulations, in mer- 
cantile and manufacturing frauds, in the lies and hol- 
lownesses which pervade social life; of the changes 
it must bring into churches, into pulpits, into pews, 
into worship, into schools, into the newspapers, 
into book-making and book-reading, into thinking 
and philosophy, and into all the schemes and en- 
terprises, judgments, pursuits and doings of men; 
of how it will affect literature, art, science, archi- 
tecture, eating, drinking and sleeping, working, 
recreating; of what it must do concerning play- 
houses, and rumshops, and gambling hells, and the 
unhallowed gains by which great masses of people 
have their living and keep themselves up in the 
world. And as I thus begin to realize in imagina- 
tion what the irresistible enforcement of true and 
righteous administration in all these directions and 
relations necessarily implies, I can see why the 
book of God describes it as a shepherdizing with a 
rod of iron, and calls it a breaking like the dashing 
to pieces of an article of pottery. Think of the 
sudden collapse of all the haunts of sin, the root- 
ing out of the nests and nurseries of iniquity, the 
clearing away of the marshes and bogs of crime, 
where every style of damning pestilence is bred, 
and the changes that must hence come; think of 
the summary abolition of all infamous cliques, 
combinations, and rings — political rings, whisky 
rings, municipal rings, State rings, railroad rings, 
mercantile rings, communistic rings, oath-bound 
society rings, and a thousand kinds of other rings 



Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter. 107 

— all the children of wickedness, hindering just 
law, suppressing moral right, crippling honest 
industry, subsidizing legislation, corrupting the 
press, robbing the public treasuries, eating up the 
gains of honorable occupation, perverting public 
sentiment, spotting and exorcising men who cannot 
be made the tools of party, transmuting selfish 
greed and expediency into principle, razeeing the 
dominion of virtue and intelligence, subordinating 
the common weal to individual aggrandizement, 
and setting all righteous administration at defiance; 
think of the universal and invincible dragging 
forth to divine justice of every blatant infidel, 
perjurer, liar, profane swearer, drunkard, drunk- 
ard-maker, whoremonger, hypocrite, slanderer, 
trickster, cheat, thief, murderer, trader in un- 
cleanness, truce-breaker, traitor, miser, oppressor 
of the poor, bribe-taking legislator, time-serving 
preacher, mal-practitioner, babe-destroyer, friend- 
robber, office-usurper, peace-disturber, and life- 
embitterer; think of the instantaneous going forth 
into all the world of a divine and unerring force, 
which cannot be turned or avoided, but which 
hews down every fruitless tree, purges away all 
chaff from every floor, negatives all unrighteous 
laws, overwhelms all unrighteous traffic, destroys 
all unrighteous coalition, burns up every nest of 
infamy and sin, ferrets out all concealed wicked- 
ness, exposes and punishes all empty pretense, 
makes an end of all unholy business, and puts an 
effectual stop to all base fashions, all silly conceits, 
all questionable customs, and all the hollow shams 
and corrupt show and fastidiousness of what calls 



108 The Blessed Hope. 



itself society, transferring the dominion of the 
Almighty dollar to Almighty Right, and reducing 
everything in human life, pursuits, manners and 
professions to the standard of rigid truth and jus- 
tice; think of the tremendous revolution, in all that 
the eye can see, the ear hear, the hand touch, the 
heart feel, or earthly being realize, that must needs 
attend the putting into living practical force of 
such an administration; the high it must make low, 
the famous it must make infamous, the rich it must 
make poor, the mighty it must make powerless, 
the loud it must sink into oblivion, the admired 
and worshipped it must turn to disgrace and ab- 
horrence, the despised and contemned poor it must 
lift into place and respectability; — the different 
impulse under which every wheel must then turn, 
every shuttle move, every hammer strike, every 
foot step, every mind calculate, and every heart 
beat; the change that must come over the houses 
we enter, over the streets we walk, over the people 
we meet, over the words we pronounce, over the 
food we eat, over the air we breathe, over the sun- 
light of the day, over the repose of night, over the 
spirit of our waking hours, and the very dreams of 
our slumbers, and over all the elements, relations, 
activities and experiences which go to make up 
what we call life; think, I say, of all this tremen- 
dous revolution, and conceive it going into invinci- 
ble effect, unchangeably, without compromise, at 
once and forever, and you may begin to have some 
idea of the alteration which the First Resurrection 
is to introduce into the history of our earth. For 
this, and nothing less than this, is the meaning of 



Revelation, the Twentieth Chapter. 109 

this, sitting upon thrones, receiving power of judg- 
ment, shepherdizing the nations, and reigning on 
the earth, on the part of these blessed and holy 
immortals. (Seiss, in "Lectures on the Apoca- 
lypse," Vol. III., 327-331). 



110 The Blessed Hope. 



The Translation and The Rapture. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

We have spoken of the resurrection from among 
the dead. At the same time, in the same manner 
and by the same power, there is to be a translation 
from among the living, of those who are prepared 
for it. The holy dead will be raised like Jesus, the 
holy living, transformed in an instant, by the same 
power Divine, like Enoch and Elijah, will be caught 
up to meet their descending Lord. One taken, 
from the field, the mill, the bed, the other left. The 
risen and translated constitute jointly the church 
of the first-born and will be forever with the Lord 
(1 Thess. 4:15-17). 

Our bodies are now under the dominion of disease 
and death. But when our Saviour shall appear in 
kingly glory and majesty, He will work in His peo- 
ple such a renovation of their mortal bodies as will 
make them like unto His own. St. John says, 
''When he shall appear" "we shall be like him" (1 
John 3:2). In like manner, St. Paul declares, "We 
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in 
an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last 
trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead 
shall be raised incorruptible, and we (the liviug 
saints) shall be changed. And when this cor- 
ruptible shall have put on incorruptibility, and this 
mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall 



The Translation and The Rapture. Ill 

come to pass the word that has been written 'death 
is swallowed up in victory'" (1 Cor. 15:51-54). 
The change in the dead is from corruption to in- 
corruptibility; the change in the living is from 
mortal to immortality. In each case death is de- 
feated; his captives are wrenched from him on the 
one hand, and his prospective victims on the other. 
This same gracious truth is brought out in the 
words of the evangelical prophet, 

"Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body 
shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for 
thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out 
the dead. 

''For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish 
the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth 
shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." 
<Isa. 26:19-21). 

That graceful writer, Rev. A. J. Gordon, com- 
ments as follows: "Incomparably beautiful are the 
prophet's inspired words, when freed from the 
translator's interpolated words: 'Thy dead shall 
live, my dead body shall they arise.' The sainted 
sleepers, though under the deep humiliation of cor- 
ruption, He disdains not still to call 'My body.' 
Strangers and pilgrims in the earth, they have 
pitched their tents in the grave for a night, saying 
with their Lord: 'Moreover my flesh shall taber- 
nacle in hope.' And the first incident in the ad- 
vent consummation will be the summons for these 
sojourners in the tomb to strike their tents, and, 
with the living, to take up the march to meet the 
coming Bridegroom in the air. " ' 'Then those upon 
the earth under sentence of death, and those in the 
earth, under the dominion of death, will shout to- 



112 The Blessed Hope. 

gether their triumph over the last enemy" (Ecce 
Venit, pages 239-241). 

The Rapture thus includes the saints from among 
the dead of all the ages, and the holy watchers 
from among the living in the days of our Saviour's 
appearing. 

Paul declares that the descent of the Lord is with 
a shout and with the sound of a trumpet. "The 
dead in Christ shall rise first, then the living who 
remain together with them shall be caught away in 
the clouds for the meeting of the Lord in the air; 
and thus always with the Lord we shall be" (1 
Thess. 4:17). 

The very word church, Greek ecclesia, points to 
the Rapture. It is from kleesis, to call, and ek 9 out 
of. Hence a class of people who are called out from 
a larger body constitutes the church. They heed 
His call now and will joyously respond at His ap- 
pearing, leaving others behind in each case. The 
church is therefore now and will be at His coming 
the called out ones. In the nature of the case, the 
whole world can never be brought into the church 
without vitiating its character as an ecclesia. It must 
be composed of a select and separated body of peo- 
ple, chosen from among the multitude. Herein is 
the doctrine of election. We are in the church age; 
that is, the elective age. "Many are called, but few 
are chosen." Why? Because they will not meet 
the conditions. Election hinges upon our obedience 
to the commands of Christ, and our faith in His shed 
blood. Peter puts it: 

"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, 
through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and 
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:2). 



The Translation and The Rapture. 113 

The doctrine of unconditional election and repro- 
bation is unknown in the Scriptures. "Look unto 
me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth" (Isa. 
45:22). "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise 
cast out" (John 6:37). Jesus said, "Ye will not 
come unto me that ye might have life' 1 (John 5:40).. 

In this elective dispensation, while all men are 
called, only those who meet the proper conditions 
are chosen. 

Simeon tells us how God hath visited the Gen- 
tiles, "To take out of them a people for his name" 
(Acts 15:14). This calling-out process is now in op- 
eration. Those who meet the conditions, if they 
fall asleep before the King's return, will be called 
out of their graves from among the dead, as they 
were at first called out from among the sinful mul- 
titudes of the living. Nor have the dead precedence 
over the living, who like themselves have answered 
the divine call, and have separated themselves from 
the godless multitudes of this world. Those who 
are obedient to the present call to a holy life in the 
midst of a God-hating generation shall have the 
peculiar privilege of responding to the call: "Come 
up higher," when our Lord shall bid His jewels 
meet Him in the air. 

Christ is the Good Shepherd, and His sheep, 
whether among the living or dead, know His voice. 
He goeth before them and they gladly follow 
(John 10:4). Happy will be the day when they all 
hear His call and shall enter into that fold from 
whence they shall go out no more again forever. 

As samples were given of the divine power over 
death, in the resurrection of some in the pre-Chris- 

8 



114 The Blessed Hope. 

tian dispensations, so there are samples on record 
of the translation of saints. What is the meaning 
of the taking away of Enoch and Elijah, but an 
illustration of the translation of the holy ones who 
shall be caught up and changed in the twinkling of 
an eye — in a moment — at His appearing? 
On the 

MOUNT OP TRANSFIGURATION 

Jesus in His kingly glory was joined by Moses, as 
a sample of the resurrection saints, and by Elijah, 
illustrative of those who by translation gained their 
victory over death and entered into the kingdom. 

Christ transfigured, Moses raised from the 
dead, Elijah caught up from among the living, 
Peter, James and John yet in their flesh — this 
gives us a picture, in miniature, of the kingdom 
Hiat is to be. 

How may we be prepared for the Rapture? 

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be ac- 
counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to 
j)ass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:36). 

This is the Master's recipe for those who would 
participate in this glorious victory over the tribu- 
lation sorrows that shall sweep the earth. He who 
lives the "life hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:1-3); 
he who prays continually, who is not worldly in 
spirit, is pure in heart, sanctified in life, and has 
crowned Christ within, he shall be awakened at the 
sound of the first trumpet, if he shall have first 
"fallen on sleep." He shall participate in the joys 
of the first resurrection, if he sleeps with the saints, 
or shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, if 



The Translation and The Rapture. 115 

he remain among the living. Thus we see that 
those who are ready for the coming of the Lord 
shall be permitted to escape the day of vengeance 
which is coming on the earth. 

"Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut 
thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little mo- 
ment, until the indignation be overpast." (Isa. 26:20). 

They are in their chambers and shut in with the 
Lord, like Noah in his ark, sealed of God, while 
the world is suffering the desolations of the flood. 

Paul speaks of God's recompense of tribulation 
to them that trouble you; and to you that are op- 
pressed repose with us, at the revelation of the 
Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels, in 
flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know 
not God, and that obey not the gospel (2 Thess. 
1:6-8). 

The day of ' 'vengeance, " of ' 'indignation, " of 
"tribulation," cannot reach those who are safely 
sheltered in the ark of His love, riding the topmost 
waves of the wrath unscathed. The disciples, in 
the day of Jerusalem's overthrow, were safely hid 
away beyond Jordan in the heights of Pella; and 
this is illustrative of the safety of the raptured 
saints in the day of earth's desolations through the 
fierce wrath of God, in that greatest of the world's 
tribulations. 

"Oh what rapture shall thrill the hearts of the 
redeemed, what ecstacy of bliss shall ravish the 
sorrowing, tempted, troubled disciples of Jesus, 
when responding to His shout that will sound to 
the world only as a strange clap of thunder. They 
shall in the twinkling of an eye be changed into 



116 The Blessed Hope. 



the likeness of His glorious body, and together 
with the rising saints, hand in hand with some 
whose graves have cast a shadow all along their 
pathway of life, they shall ascend to be with Him 
forever, and to be done with sin and suffering for- 
ever! But what amazement and horror must seize 
upon the careless, the unbelieving, the worldly, 
when the husband shall miss from his side the wife 
who had wept bitter tears over his rejection of her 
Saviour, and the child shall look around in vain for 
the mother whose entreaties had been disregarded, 
and the friends who mingled their sympathies shall 
silently and suddenly part to meet no more" (Mar- 
anatha, page 533). 

The raptured ones are to be earth's priests and 
kings under their sovereign Lord and Redeemer — 
The Christ of God. 

"Ere judgment comes on Christendom, the true 
church will have been, like Enoch, translated to 
heaven, being with their Lord in the air .... We 
are not comforted by the assurance of our being 
gathered to the grave in peace, but by the hope of 
being gathered to meet the Lord in the air, so that, 
when the judgments come, we shall not be amid the 
scenes upon which they are poured, but in the 
heavens whence they issue." (Plain Papers, pages 
94-96). 

Rev. J. A. Seiss says: Some of these days or 
nights, — while men are busy with the common pur- 
suits and cares of life, and everything is rolling on 
in its accustomed course, — unheralded, unbelieved, 
and unknown to the gay world, here one, and there 
another, shall secretly disappear, caught up like 



The Translation and The Rapture. 117 

Enoch, who "was not found because God had trans- 
lated him." Invisibly, noiselessly, miraculously, 
they shall vanish from the company and fellowship 
of those about them, and ascend to their returning 
Lord. Strange announcements shall be in the 
morning papers of missing ones. Strange ac- 
counts shall be whispered around in the circles of 
business and society. And for the first time will 
apostate Christendom, and the slow in heart to be- 
lieve all that the prophets have written, have the 
truth brought home, that no such half -Christianity 
as theirs is sufficient to put men among the favor- 
ites of the Lord. 

Brethren and friends, these are neither dreams 
nor fables. They are realities set forth in the in- 
fallible truth of God, and as literally true as any- 
thing else in the inspired word. And as you value 
the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus, and 
take this holy book as an unfailing guide, be not 
faithless, but believing. And if you feel yourself 
unready for such events, do not think of setting 
them aside by scoffs and sneers. If they are in the 
purpose of God, as He so plainly says they are, 
and as I conscientiously believe they are, your un- 
belief cannot alter them. Better bestir yourself to 
be prepared, with your loins girded and your lamps 
trimmed and burning. There is chance for you yet 
to be among those favored ones whom God has en- 
gaged thus to keep out of the judgment plagues 
and sorrows; but that this opportunity shall re- 
main to you for another year, or month, or week, 
or day, or hour, no living man or angel of heaven 
is authorized to promise. What you do must be 



118 The Blessed Hope. 

done quickly. To your knees, then, to your Bibles, 
and to the mercy seat of your God, O man, O wom- 
an! "Rend your heart, and not your garments, 
and turn unto the Lord your God. " Let not another 
day pass leaving you still in your sins; "for in 
such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man Com- 
eth." And may God in mercy grant us each 
the grace and diligence to be found of Him in peace, 
without spot, and blameless. (Lectures on the Apo- 
calypse, Vol. I., p. 231). 



The Antichrist. 119 



The Antichrist. 



CHAPTER IX. 

A difficult subject. It behooves us to be modesty 
to seek light rather than express ourselves with 
severe dogmatism. 

Much has been written on this subject; some of 
it wise, much of it perhaps unwise. The Scrip- 
tures have much to say concerning this evil spirit 
or personage, and yet the revelations are of such a 
character that to master the subject, or to reach any 
very definite or unanswerable conclusions, is diffi- 
cult. Among premillennialists opinions are divided 
concerning the Antichrist into two schools, known 
as the historical and the futurist. Those who ac- 
cept what is known as the historical idea locate the 
Antichrist in the Papacy, and they advance very 
strong arguments in support of their position. The 
futurists repudiate this idea, and look for a per- 
sonal Satan-empowered man, who shall develop 
and run his course during the last three and a half 
years of the Christian Dispensation. Perhaps the 
truth may be found in a combination of the two 
ideas. We shall not attempt to treat the subject 
exhaustively, but will examine a few Scriptures 
and quote a few authorities. 



120 TJie Blessed Hope. 

I. WHERE IS THE ANTICHRIST TO BE FOUND? 

(a) In the temple of God. St. Paul declares that 
he exalteth himself above all that is called God, or 
that is an object of veneration, so that he as God 
sitteth in the temple of God showing himself off (or 
setting himself forth) that he is God (2 Thess. 2:4). 
Satan in the beginning attempted to wrench from 
God the throne of the universe. Now in the Chris- 
tian Dispensation we find this incarnate devil as- 
suming the prerogatives of the Almighty, entering 
the temple of worship, and pretending himself to 
be God. It is evident, therefore, that the Anti- 
christ is not an infidel ; that is, an open opposer 
of religion, but a hypocrite, a false professor, a pre- 
tender, a vice-god. He claims to be God, and yet 
opposes everything that is holy. His pretensions 
are accepted by the multitudes. The ten kings re- 
ceive power from him and give their power and 
strength to him. Under his leadership they ' 'make 
war with the Lamb" who overcomes them. 

(b) He has dominion over "peoples, multitudes, 
nations and tongues" (Rev. 17:12-15). The ex- 
tent of his operations is seen in that he is over all 
these peoples. His power and success are shown 
in that they worship him, saying, "Who is like unto 
the beast?" 

II. WHEN IS HE? 

This question has been one of the greatest 
of the battle grounds for theologians. Many 
of the early Christians thought Nero was he. 
Others believed that Diocletian was the Anti- 



TJie Antichrist. 121 



Christ. As ages passed these were found to 
be in error. The Reformers, repudiating the 
personal idea of the Man of Sin, believed it to be 
fulfilled in the Papacy as a system, and that its 
duration of three years and a half, or forty-two 
months, equaling 1,260 days, was to be understood 
symbolically, so that the actual time of the Anti- 
christ's power was 1,260 years — a day for a year. 
Yet others, as we have said, who hold to the futur- 
ist view, believe he is to be an incarnate devil, or a 
man demon-possessed and empowered, whose career 
shall embrace the limited period of 1,260 days; that 
is, three and a half literal years. Of course the ad- 
vocates of this view say he has not yet been mani- 
fested. The leading teachers of the futurist school 
of interpreters believe that his entire career occurs 
after Christ shall have caught away His saints in 
the air, and that the great tribulation is brought 
about by the operations of the Antichrist. If this 
be a correct view, it may, as a sidelight, determine 
for us the length of the Rapture. It will doubtless 
cover the same time as the tribulation, and that 
will doubtless cover the time of Antichrist's reign. 

Each of these schools presents a strong line of 
argument in support of the positions advanced. No 
doubt the truth lies between them. They may be 
each right in the main line of the argument, their 
error lying chiefly in their exclusiveness — their 
opposition to the position assumed by the other 
side. 

Answering our question, When is he? we note 
the saying of John, "Even now are there many 
antichrists" (1 John 2:18). Thus we know that 



122 The Blessed Hope. 

his time cannot be limited to the great tribulation 
period of forty-two months preceding the coming 
of Christ. Next, we observe the time of his de- 
struction. Paul tells us (2 Thess. 2:8) he is ''de- 
stroyed by the brightness of his (Christ's) coming. " 
Put these declarations of John and Paul together, 
and we find there was an Antichrist in the first cen- 
tury, and that he shall continue till the close of the 
present dispensation at the coming of the Lord. 
As to when, we therefore answer: From the apos- 
tolic day to the close of the Christian Dispensation. 
In another section of the argument we will attempt 
to show that there will be a personal and mighty 
manifestation of the evil character — just such as is 
set forth by the futurists. 

III. WHENCE IS HE AND WHENCE HIS POWER? 

The answer is furnished by the word of inspira- 
tion. As to his origin, it is plainly hellish; he 
"shall ascend out of the bottomless pit" (Rev. 
17:8). As Christ, the representative of God, came 
down out of heaven, so the beast, Satan's repre- 
sentative, shall ascend out of the pit. David came 
forth from the camp of Israel, while Goliath issued 
from the armies of the Philistines. To the eyes of 
men it would seem that the ruddy youth stood no 
chance of victory over the great giant who repre- 
sented the enemy's forces, so when "the beast" or 
Goliath of the infernal regions stalks forth upon 
the battlefield, and there comes forth from Jerusa- 
lem the Lamb (Greek, "little Lamb") of God, it 
would seem that the battle was lost to right and 
truth, but as the giant Philistine fell before the 



The Antichrist. 123 



ruddy youth, so shall the "beast" go down before 
the matchless "little Lamb." As the Beast is of 
hellish origin, so his power is a satanic bestow- 
ment. "The dragon gave him his power, and his 
seat, and great authority" (Rev. 13:2). 

IV. WHAT IS HIS CHARACTER? 

Just what might be expected when we consider 
his mission. He is the representative of Beel- 
zebub, his purpose the overthrow of Christ and His 
people. He is an ally of the infernal armies, and 
his character befits his undertaking. He is conse- 
quently: 

(a) An impudent boaster. ' 'There was given him a 
mouth speaking great things" (Rev. 13:5,6). 

(b) A blasphemer. "He opened his mouth in blas- 
phemy against God" (Dan. 7:25; Rev. 13:5,6). 

(c) A great warrior. "It was given unto him to 
make war with the saints and to overcome them" 
(Rev. 13:7; 11:7). 

(d) A conqueror of many. "Power was given him 
over all kindreds, and tongues and nations" 
(Rev. 13:5-8). 

(e) The Man of Sin (2 Thess. 2:3). The agent, 
embodiment and chief representative of sin and 
Satan. 

(f) The Son of Perdition (2 Thess. 2:3). This title 
was elsewhere applied only to the Traitor (Jno. 
17:12) who was called "a devil" (Jno. 6:70.) 

Prom the expression, "son of perdition," we are 
reminded of Judas Iscariot, who pretended to love 
and follow the Christ, and upon whom the Master 
bestowed the same title (John 17:12). 



124 The Blessed Hope. 

(g) He is called 4 'That wicked" (2Thess. 2:3,8). 

Notwithstanding he has this corrupted satanic 
character, he is found among the followers of 
Christ, and, entering the Temple of God as if to 
worship, he there demands the homage of all men, 
which, strange enough, is almost universally con- 
ceded (Rev. 13:8). 

V. WHO IS HE? 

Our friend of the historical school answers 
definitely, and we believe correctly. "He is a 
dreadful enemy of God springing up within the 
Christian Church." He asks, "How could the pre- 
diction be more literally fulfilled than in Romanism 
— that astonishing eclipse of pagan and idolatrous 
superstition, under whose shadow two-thirds of 
nominal Christendom now rests?" He further insists 
that we shall find the heading up of the prophecy 
concerning this mysterious evil "In the line of 
popes having their seat of authority in Rome, and 
extending their rule through more than twelve 
centuries of the Christian era." (Ecce. Venit, 
page 109). 

Speaking of Paul's prophecy concerning the 
man of sin, "showing himself that he is God," 
Bishop Wordsworth says : For many hundred years, 
to this day, the Roman pontiffs have literally ful- 
filled this prophecy of St. Paul. When Cornelius, 
the centurion, fell down at Peter's feet and wor- 
shipped him, St. Peter forbade him, saying, 
''Stand up! I myself also am a man." But the self- 
called successors of St. Peter sit in the temple of 
God as God. For many centuries each of them, at 



The Antichrist. 125 



his inauguration, has taken his seat in God's 
Church, upon God's altar, and, so sitting, has been 
adored by men falling down before him and kiss- 
ing his feet. (Wordsworth on Apocalypse, page 
384). 

This is true, as borne out by many witnesses. 
The Popes have represented themselves as the 
vicegerents of God, infallibility has been voted 
them, and they have received divine homage. 
Alexander the Sixth passed under the arch of 
triumph to his pontifical consecration, beneath the 
words, "Csesar was a man; Alexander is a God." 
To Leo the Tenth one infatuated devotee ex- 
claimed, * 'Thou art another God on earth." Greg- 
ory the Second declared, "All the kings of the 
earth reverence the Pope as a God on earth." 
Nicholas blasphemously claimed to do the works 
of God, and impiously asks, "What can you make 
me but a God?" 

Now, when we come to consider what the Anti- 
christ is, viz., that he is the Devil's representative, 
parading as God, that, as a Judas among the 
apostles, he may the more effectually betray the 
Master, we can readily see that the Antichrist of 
the middle ages was the Papacy. This beyond 
question is a fact. The dark ages had their Anti- 
christ, as even the apostolic period. But as Christ 
has not completed His work, neither has the Anti- 
christ finished his career. The Papacy is waning, 
the power of Romanism is gradually weakening, 
but the "man of sin" shall not be destroyed till the 
glorious appearing of the great King. 

We have seen in another chapter that the great- 



126 The Blessed Hope. 

est tribulation in the history of the nations is to 
transpire while Christ and His saints are enjoying 
the festivities of the marriage supper, far above 
the scenes of earthly anguish and sorrow. May 
it not even be true that Satan will concentrate all 
his unmitigated hatred against the Christ, and in- 
carnate his infernal power in some great character 
who shall be the embodiment of all the concentrated 
forces of evil? . Christ was God in flesh. May not 
the final Antichrist be the Devil in a human body? 
As Christ was raised from the dead, may not a 
Nero be revived by satanic power, and invested 
ivith authority to take the lead of all hypocritical, 
infidel and apostate forces of evil, for a final con- 
flict with the Hero of Calvary? As Christ is about 
to assume the reins of universal empire and mani- 
fest His glory, the accumulated wickedness of the 
ages may be concentered by satanic power in an 
individual, that he may represent the forces of the 
infernal regions, as Christ leads and represents the 
armies of the skies. God is seen in His works, 
His Church, and in the manifestations of the Spirit, 
hut these do not preclude His greater personal 
manifestation in Jesus the Christ. So the Anti- 
christs of John's day were many, of intervening 
centuries a hierarchy, at the end of the days he 
may head up in a Satan-empowered man. 

As we have given Gordon and Wordsworth, as 
representatives of the historical school, we will 
hear two equally eminent representatives of the 
futurist view. Olshausen, on 2 Thess. 2, says: 
* 'The representation given of the Antichrist plainly 
describes him as a person, as an individual. A 



The Antichrist. 127 



stream of Antichristian sentiment and conduct per- 
vade the whole history of the world. From this 
stream, in the last days, proceeds Antichrist, as the 
completed evil fruit; it will express itself in many 
individuals, but by all these one personality will be 
considered as the centre of all their striving, and 
acknowledged as the master by whom they let 
themselves be guided. All great movements in the 
history of the world have definite personages for 
pillars. That the last and utmost development of 
evil will also attain to its centre in a personality, has 
the analogy of history entirely in its favor. That 
in Antichrist evil is only to be conceived as an ab- 
stract, clearly contradicts the teaching of the 
Scriptures." 

Seiss, remarking upon the same character, has 
this to say: "This Beast is a supernatural per- 
sonage. As a political power, he rises out of the 
convulsed sea of peoples, the same as world-wide 
powers in general; but as a person, his origin is 
peculiar. He is repeatedly described as 'the Beast 
that cometh up out of the abyss. ' 'The abyss' cannot 
mean less than the under -world, the world of lost 
spirits, the receptacle and abode of demons, other- 
wise called hell. Ordinary men do not come from 
thence. One who hails from that place must be 
either a dead man brought again from the dead, or 
some evil spirit which takes possession of a living 
man." "He is at once Anti-God, Anti- Christ and 
Ani\-Spirit, antagonizing each particular Person of 
the adorable Trinity, trampling on their claims, 
usurping their honors, putting himself into their 
places, and abolishing all worship and recognition 



128 The Blessed Hope. 

of either." (Lectures on the Apocalypse, Vol. II. , 
pages 396,397, 406 and 407). 

We see that the teachers of the historical inter- 
pretation make a strong showing. In like manner 
the representatives of the other view make an ar- 
gument which seems unanswerable. Our position 
combines them, recognizing an Antichrist through 
all the centuries, manifested during the dark ages 
in the Roman Papacy, to-day in it and all fallen 
churches, and finally in an incarnate demon who 
runs his race during the limited period of three 
and a half years in the tribulation time. In Ro- 
manism his time maybe forty-two months of years, 
or twelve hundred and sixty years, while in the end 
the time may be literal days — 1260. See chapter 
on Twofold Prophecy. 

VI. WHAT BECOMES OF HIM? 

He is consumed by the ''breath of his mouth," 
which indicates a weakening of his power through 
gospel influences, and this would seem to support 
the historical view ; as this consumption is evidently 
the gradual breaking down of Rome's power by the 
gospel of the Reformation. The process has been 
going on since the days of Luther, and thus the 
historical Antichrist's power is on the wane; but 
the destruction is not complete, nor will it be till 
the final onslaught in the last great battle, in which 
the King of glory is the conqueror. Then shall 
Antichrist be destroyed by the "brightness of His 
appearing" (2 Thess. 2:8). 

The Seer of Patmos had a glimpse of the Beast's 
overthrow. It occurred at the time when the Word 



The Antichrist, 129 



of God, Who is called faithful and True, Whose 
eyes are as a "flame of fire," and on Whose head 
were many crowns, rides forth on His white horse 
to assert His right as "King of kings and Lord of 
lords" (Rev. 19:11-16). 

The Antichrist masses his forces, but the battle 
ends at its beginning. The Beast is "taken" and 
cast alive into the lake of fire (Verses 19,20). This 
strongly supports the personal idea of the Anti- 
christ, as set forth by the futurists. A system, or 
abstract set of principles, cannot be ' 'cast alive into 
a lake of" burnings. Only an individual, living per- 
son or character can meet the requirements of this. 
Scripture. 

Are we not, therefore, right in explaining and 
combining the two schools of interpretation? Has 
not the Papacy for hundreds of years clearly ful- 
filled the prophetic outlines of the Antichrist, and 
is there not fulfilled before our eyes the waning: 
and weakening by the power of the Reformation 
and the promised consumption by the "breath of 
his mouth," and yet are there not unmistakable^ 
prophecies of a heading up in some infernal Nero, 
or Goliath, of all the combined forces of evil? 
And shall not this "wicked," this "man of sin,"' 
this "son of perdition," be cast as the dragon him- 
self, the old Devil, alive at the advent of the glori- 
ous Conqueror, into the lake of eternal burnings? 

9 



130 The Blessed Hojje. 



The Dispensations. 



CHAPTER X. 

There is food for thought in the question of the 
.Ages, iEons, or Dispensations. In those Scrip- 
tures in which the expression, "The end of the 
world" (Matt. 24:3; 13:39, etc.) occurs, the original 
is frequently, if not always, iEons (Greek aionos) . 
It does not mean the world literally, but the Age, 
or period, as the Jewish Age, the Christian dispen- 
sation. There are Age-worlds as well as space- 
worlds. Robert Cameron, in his helpful book, 
"The Doctrine of the Ages," says: "The Time- 
world stands for a bounded and limited time in the 
midst of eternity, while a space-world stands for a 
globe of matter in the immensity of space." Again, 
he says, "It is to be remembered that the original 
meaning of iEon, in the New Testament, is Age, 
or period of time. Its relation to eternity is simi- 
lar to that which ' kosmos ' is to space. The one 
marks off a well-defined world in the universe of 
space, and the other marks off a well-defined space 
in the eternity of duration" (Pages 12,13). 

We are in the Christian Dispensation or age, and 
this was preceded by the Jewish. But that there 
are other eras of time as clearly marked out and 
as well defined is a fact commonly overlooked. 
Christ speaks of the world (Age, iEon) to come 



The Dispensations. 131 

when, concerning the sin against the Holy Ghost, 
He declared that it "shall not be forgiven, neither 
in this world (Age or Dispensation), neither in the 
world (Age) to come" (Matt, 12:32). Does this 
not clearly teach that some sins will be forgiven in 
the Age to come? We believe it unmistakably 
shows that salvation will be extended to men during 
the next Dispensation.* Paul declares that Christ 
is set "Far above all principality, and power, and 
might, and dominion, and every name that is 
named, not only in this world (age), but also in that 
which is to come" (Eph. 1:21). Again he speaks 
on this wise: "Now unto God and our Father be 
glory forever and ever" (Phil. 4:20). 

Here, and in other Scriptures, the Common Ver- 
sion has it "forever and ever," but the Greek is 
tousaionas ton aionon (the ages of the ages). Now an 
age, or dispensation, is a limited period of time. 
If this were not so it could not be in the plural. We 
cannot speak truly of the eternities with reference 
to duration, for there is but one eternity. That 
which never ends cannot be spliced and added to 
by another of the same length; hence there is and 
can be but one eternity. But as time is cut out of 
the endless future, and is necessarily fragmentary, 
it may be easily broken into periods, f We have 

*We do not mean by this to teach a second probation for 
those who have despised the offers of grace in this gospel 
period. Our reference is to the continuation of the race 
under agencies of salvation. See chapter on "The New 
Earth." 

tWe speak of the eternities past and future, because time 
intervenes with us. But we do not talk of the eternities to 
come, but of breaks in eternity — the ages, or age-worlds to 
come. 



132 TJie Blessed Hope. 

our divisions of time, as hours, days, years, centu- 
ries and "ages." May we not say that the minute 
and the hour are arbitrary? They are simply hu- 
man divisions for convenience. We might break 
the hour into ten minutes, or the day into ten 
hours. But we have adopted a different division. 
On the other hand, the day, the year, and the age 
(aeon), or dispensation, is an arrangement of divine 
wisdom — they are God-made divisions of time. 

As to the future ages, we cannot say how many 
there will be till they merge into eternity. There 
is one revealed "Age to come." And in this period 
there is to be an habitable world. In Hebrews (2:5) 
we read, "For unto the angels hath he not put in 
subjection the world to come (pikoumenen, the 
habitable world) whereof we speak."* The teach- 
ing is manifest that "the world to come" is to be 
inhabited, and hence the idea that all things end 
with the close of the Christian Dispensation is er- 
roneous. Paul speaks of the "ages of time:" "In 
the hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot 
lie, promised before the world began," that is be- 
fore the ages of time began (Titus 1:2). To the 
Ephesians he writes concerning their walk in the 
"age of this world," that is, in the spirit of the 
world in this age or dispensation (Eph. 2:3). 
We must remember that this is the age of wicked- 

* The word here is not aionas, age, but oikoumenen, which 
means '"a habitable world," a world suitable for residence. 
It means that this age is to be followed by one in which the 
world is to be more healthful than at present, better suited 
to the increase of population, when men will live long like 
trees. See Isa. 65:17-25. In the millennium men will live 
long like the patriarchs — beyond the thousand years there is 
no death (Rev. 21:4). 



The Disjiensations. 133 

ness, and in order to be Christians we must get out 
of the world; that is, separate ourselves from the 
evil influences that abound in the world, and will 
continue in it till the end of the Age (Matt. 
13:30). We do not need to leave the earth to be 
holy (See Jno. 17:15), but to separate ourselves from 
the spirit of the world in this sinful age while 
Satan is the world's "prince'' or "god." 
There are six clearly defined 

AGES OR DISPENSATIONS. 

There may be more, but these are easily recog- 
nized, especially because they each end in a mani- 
fest failure on man's part. Paul speaks of the 
arrangement or adjustment of these Ages as a set- 
ting forth of the "manifold wisdom of God" 
(Eph. 3:10,11). These Ages or Dispensations are 
like the different rooms or stories of a house, each 
being built upon the other, rising above it. Like 
the rungs of a ladder, these Ages are built or knit 
together in Christ Jesus, who is the stay and sup- 
port of them. This may possibly explain His 
language when He declared, "Hereafter ye shall 
see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascend- 
ing and descending upon the Son of man" (John 
1:52). 

Let us see if we cannot locate and define the six 
divisions of the Ages. First, the Edenic. Second, 
the Antediluvian. Third, the Noachan. Fourth, 
the Mosaic. Fifth, the Christian. Sixth, the Mil- 
lennial. Beyond the millennium, there may be other 
ages bounded by limitation, as we have already 
hinted. It seems very clear to the writer that there 



134 The Blessed Hope. 

is to be at least one more dispensation in which 
Christ as Son of man shall reign without a rival; but 
concerning questions of this character it were better 
not to dogmatize, since the Word is not clear or 
specific* But this lack of definiteness in revelation 
is not conclusive evidence against the possibility of 
successive eras of time, before the dawn of eternity. 
The Jew made sure that there could be but one 
other age. He thought that the canon of the 
Scriptures was completed with Malachi, and that 
the perfect kingdom would follow the advent of the 
Messiah; but we see that he was mistaken. In like 
manner, beyond the millennium, Age may succeed 
Age, and even the canon of Scripture may be 
greatly enlarged. With the writer this is a mere 
conjecture; it may, or it may not be true. But let 
us examine the Dispensations concerning which 
there can be no doubt — those clearly defined. 

(1) The Edenic. This Dispensation was of short 
duration. Happy period ! and yet so soon forfeited ! 
From a holy, happy pair, with every want supplied; 
no sorrow, labor or trouble; with the animal world 
affectionate and docile; angels as daily visitors, and 
the frequent companionship of God Himself, Adam 
and Eve it would seem could have desired no more. 
But the serpent in his malignity led the happy pair 
astray, and Eden was lost. As the proteges of God 
it was intended that they should be cared for, pro- 
tected, and every want supplied from the bounties 
of the Almighty. In other words, God intended to 
make a gentleman of Adam, but he proved un- 

*Let the careful student see French's "After the Thousand 
Years." Price, $1.00 Pickett Pub. Co. 



The Dispensations. 135 

worthy. Driven from the garden, he was forced 
to delve for his living; and then like the groveling 
worms of the dust pass into his grave, and suffer 
the ravages of death and dissolution. Prior to his 
fall Adam had borne the image of God. But sin 
enters, and sad is the wreck. Thus ends our first 
Dispensation. Like those to follow, it sets forth 
the failure of man. 

(2) The Antediluvian Age. Man begins this era in 
a fallen condition, and ends it in the flood. Holi- 
ness forfeited, Eden lost, the fellowship of God 
withdrawn, and Satan in full charge, man appears 
at his worst. Wickedness increases, depravity in- 
tensifies, until the whole world, estranged from 
God, becomes unspeakably sinful, 

i; And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in: 
the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of 
his heart was only evil continually. 

"The earth also was corrupt before God: and the earth 
was filled with violence. 

"And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was cor- 
rupt: for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth" 
(Gen. 6:5-12). 

The Almighty was an interested spectator while 
His creature was following the bent of his fallen 
nature. Natural light was insufficient to work re- 
demption. The Spirit must strive with man 
(Gen. 6:3). God would have saved the race quickly, 
but the disease was too deep-seated. Man was so 
thoroughly involved in transgression, so perverted 
in nature and corrupted in character as that God 
could not work his redemption with the agencies at 
hand. 

We know of no resurrection during this period. 
But it was then Enoch walked with God, escaped 



136 Tlie Blessed Hope. 

the sting of death, and by translation taught the 
world of a future life. Noah in his ark is also an 
illustration of the saints in the rapture period. 
While the world was in its fearful tribulation, 
the prophet was high in mid-heavens, shut in by the 
hand of God, so will be the saints at the marriage 
of the Lamb, while the world is overwhelmed by 
the horrors of the greatest of all tribulations — they 
wall be in their ark. In this post-Edenic period we 
:find but few true to God. "Darkness covers the 
earth, and gross darkness the people." Paul de- 
lineates their fearful wickedness in the first chapter 
of Romans. The record informs us that God re- 
pented having made man, that "it grieved Him at 
His heart" (Gen. 6:6). What this means I do not 
know. It seems hard to reconcile it with his fore- 
knowledge of all things; but the record is plain 
and unimpeachable. Did you ever do a thing that 
when you saw its consequences you were made 
sick at heart? That seems to be the effect of man's 
wickedness upon his Maker. Thus we reach the 
end of our second period, and it corroborates our 
assertion concerning the failure of man. 

(3) The Noachan or Postdiluvian Period. Having 
blotted out the race, God saved one family of eight 
persons, transferred them across the flood, and 
through them launched a new race. Now surely 
we will get good results. The new Dispensation 
began with a religious family as its basis. The 
fearful punishment of sin is fresh in memory. But 
the flood has scarcely dried from the earth till Noah 
is down drunk, Thus begins the new Dispensation; 
and we involuntarily exclaim, "How are the mighty 



TJie Dispensations. 137 

fallen !" The race goes on manifesting its carnality, 
and rapidly forgetting the flood, with all God's 
dealings in love and judgment. But few men re- 
member Him. Nations are developed, cities built, 
a^id kingdoms organized. But man is so estranged 
from his Maker that he scarcely retains Him in all 
his thoughts. 

Eventually God chooses from among the nations 
a man whom He can trust, Abraham, His friend. 
With him an everlasting covenant is made; of him 
shall come the Messiah, the Deliverer; in him shall 
all the nations of the earth be blessed. But his 
descendants prove to be much like the surrounding 
nations, and are soon in slavery. From this they 
are rescued by fearful judgments upon Egypt, the 
land of their enslavement. As they are brought 
forth the Egyptian armies perish, and the nations 
through whom they pass suffer the vengeance of 
God at their hands. Thus the Noachan Dispensa- 
tion terminates in judgments, as did its predeces- 
sors. Failure number three. 

(4) TJie Mosaic Dispensation. God launches a new 
redemption with a new Age, limiting it to the 
chosen people. He inaugurates the reign of law, 
accompanied by the prophets and the revealed 
Scriptures. Moses, as leader, prophet and law- 
giver, was the meekest of men. The law is ex- 
haustive, entering into the minutest details. Its 
ceremonial rites and ordinances are numerous and 
comprehensive. God is revealed in His holy 
character. Prophets who are mighty men of God 
thunder forth His anathemas against the violators 
of His law. The chosen people, though assorted 



138 The Blessed Hope. 

from the nations and fenced in by the care and 
love of God, prove unworthy. His love is mani- 
fested generously, and yet through sin His bless- 
ings are turned to curses, and as a result His judg- 
ments are severe and many. 

Fifteen centuries draw out their weary lengths, 
and we find the people of God enslaved to forms 
and ceremonies, the spirit of which is wholly lost 
to them. Though intensely religious in the ap- 
plication of these ceremonies to the outward life, 
they are carnal, corrupt and selfish within. The 
Messiah comes and is disowned by them. His re- 
proofs are despised, His counsels contemned, His 
love spurned. They have rejected and murdered 
His prophets. Now they add to their crimes by 
His crucifixion. "He came to His own and His own 
received Him not." Thus ends the fourth Dispen- 
sation, and still we find man a failure. 

(5) Tlie Christian Era. With the Cross and the 
hallowed blood underlying it, our fifth Dispensation 
begins at Pentecost. Here the out-poured Spirit, 
manifested in tongues of fire, becomes the symbol 
of the new era in which God is trying, as before, 
to save a lost world. The gospel is preached in its 
purity from the burning lips of the holy apostles, 
the Spirit in mighty power accompanies. Now, 
surely, we will see the world speedily saved. The 
work is inaugurated at Jerusalem, among the elect 
people. But presently we hear Stephen crying 
out, ' s Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and 
ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your 
fathers did, so do ye" (Acts 7:51). The faithful 
prophet dies beneath a shower of stones, murdered 



The Dispensations. 139 



by those whom he would save. Next, we see Paul 
and Barnabas turning from these same people and 
declaring, "Ye judge yourselves unworthy of 
eternal life" (Acts 13:46). Thus this Dispensa- 
tion — the gospel age — of which some expect so 
much, while saving a few, failed, though in its 
pristine purity and power, to evangelize any large 
part even of the Jewish people, among whom it 
was born. It was next tried at Samaria, Ephesus, 
Corinth, Rome, and while some were converted in 
each place, yet not a single nation, tongue or city 
has ever yet been wholly redeemed. If, in 1900 
years, it has not succeeded in saving one nation — 
nay, one city, town or village — will it ever bring 
all the nations to the feet of Christ? As for the 
days to come we are left to prophecy. So far as 
history and experience may be allowed to speak, 
man has proven a failure in our Dispensation, as in 
the preceding ones. What next? Prophecy is one 
of God's methods of writing history. Does it open 
the future? It certainly does. What do we see? 
A world redeemed and sitting at the feet of 
Jesus in this Dispensation? Nay, verily. But 
wars, commotions, distresses, and increasing 
wickedness among sinners, and even lukewarmness 
in much of the Church. Such is the prophetic 
picture to the time of the end. 

This era will pass out in fear and commotion 
among the nations and convulsions in the heavens. 
The Antichrist will continue, as we have shown 
elsewhere, and will make his mightiest effort in 
alignment with the Devil and the nations, at the 
time of the Second Advent. Is Christ a failure? 



140 Tiie Blessed Hope. 

No, thank God.* Is man a success? Certainly 
not. In every Dispensation he proves his weakness, 
his vacillating character, his estrangement from 
God, his utter incapacity. Thus terminates Dis- 
pensation five, in a sad and overwhelming defeat, 
caused by incompetence and unfaithfulness on the 
part of the race. 

This brings us to the consideration of the sixth, 
or Millennial Dispensation. 

*A Florida preacher reported me as saying that Christ 
was a failure. The good man was mistaken. I never once 
thought of such thing. But man has ever proved himself a 
failure, and will till "the restoration of all things." 



The Sixth Dispensation, or the Millennium. 141 



The Sixth Dispensation, or the 
Millennium. 



CHAPTER XI. 

This Dispensation has definite limits — it covers a 
thousand years. It is inaugurated with the great 
tribulation and the manifestation of Christ at His 
second advent. At its inception Satan is bound. 
At its termination he is loosed, and precipitates the 
great apostasy. With many others, the writer 
once believed the Millennium would be the period 
of earth's greatest prosperity, the Kingdom's 
greatest development, and of Christ's greatest con- 
quest among men; but a more careful investigation 
of the Scriptures has altered this view. While the 
Millennium is the best period known to man since 
the loss of Eden, it is not wholly free from evil. 
It is simply a dispensation of purgation and judg- 
ment — a renovating time. Satan is incarcerated, 
Christ becomes the World- Sovereign, His saints are 
His associates in the work of ruling the world. 
Their judgeship shall be extended even to the 
angels — the fallen ones, I suppose (1 Cor. 6:2,3). 
In the analysis of this dispensation we would say: 

(1) It is a judgment day period — that is, one of a 
thousand years. It is for the living only, the 
judgment of the dead being at its close. Though 
the arch enemy will then no longer lead men, their 
degenerate and carnal natures will continue to be 



142 The Blessed Hope. 

the occasion for evil manifestations, and will re- 
quire rebuke. It is then that the heathen are given 
to Christ for an inheritance, and the uttermost parts 
of the earth for a possession. And what happens? 
The Book answers, "Thou shalt break them with 
a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like 
a potter's vessel" (Ps. 2:8,9). The Psalmist well 
exhorts the kings and judges of the earth to serve 
the Lord with fear, to kiss the Son lest he be angry, 
to put their trust in Him (Verses 10-12). 

It is during this time that the Lord will smite the 
people who have fought Jerusalem, and if they 
continue their disobedience, He will withhold His 
rain and smite them with famine. Let the reader 
carefully consider Zech. 14, (especially verses 
9-19). The saints shall possess the earth (Dan. 
7:27; Matt. 5:5; Ps. 37:9,28,29). Not only shall 
they inherit the earth as a possession, but they 
shall judge its kings and priests under the Christ. 
Paul declares this truth unmistakably. 

"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? 
and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to 
judge the smallest matters?" (1 Cor. 6:2). 

To judge means to exercise the duties involved 
in the enforcement of the law. For a long period 
Israel was ruled by judges, and this under the 
theocracy. This order will be restored by the 
Millennium. Once Christ stood before Pilate, 
Caiaphas and Herod. Now Herod, Caiaphas and 
Pilate stand before Christ. Once Paul stood 
before Ananias, Felix, Festus and Agrippa. Now 
Agrippa, Festus, Felix and Ananias stand before 
Paul. That is to say, the present order of things 



The Sixth Dispensation, or the Millennium. 143 

"will be reversed. "While Satan rules the world 
wickedness sits enthroned, righteousness is dragged 
before it as a culprit; but when Christ comes to 
rule righteousness shall be enthroned, and the 
wicked shall come bending low before Him. Evil 
now tramples the good under foot; then the right- 
eous shall all tread evil beneath their feet. At 
present ships go loaded with rum, with an occa- 
sional missionary on board; then the distillery will 
be destroyed, the rum emptied into the hell of its 
deserving, and the ships will be loaded with mis- 
sionaries. At present, if a righteous law is en- 
acted, as the anti-canteen measure, or a State pro- 
hibition amendment, it is nullified, as this law is 
in parts of Kansas, and the first draft of the anti- 
canteen enactment was by the rulings of a whisky- 
controlled Attorney- General, or other liquor-bossed 
officer. Then Christ will enact the laws which 
shall be enforced by the righteous Josephs, and 
the faithful Samuels, and the godly Daniels of the 
kingdom. 

Some have objected to the personal reign of 
Christ, on the assumption that the whole thing is 
too material, that the kingdom is a spiritual one 
and the presence of the Paraclete is of more conse- 
quence to us than the personal reign of the Mes- 
siah, But this whole argument is a begging of the 
question. It is an assumption unwarranted by the 
Scriptures, that the Spirit will be necessarily with- 
drawn when Christ comes. Although He was not 
poured out in His fullness upon the Church, thereby 
inaugurating the present dispensation, which is 
peculiarly His, until after the ascension of the risen 



144 TJie Blessed Hope. 

Christ, yet it does not follow of necessity that He 
shall be withdrawn from the earth when Christ 
comes again. 

In this matter we are dependent upon revelation. 
Can it be shown from the Bible that the Spirit will 
vacate the earth at the appearing again of Christ? 
This we deny. We know of no Scripture which 
asserts that He will leave the earth, but on the 
other hand there are numbers of Scriptures which 
plainly teach His continued presence and operation. 

THE SPIRIT'S PRESENCE. 

Does not our Father promise the presence and 
saving power of His Spirit at the time of the resto- 
ration of Israel? And does not this saving and 
restoration of His people occur at the time of the 
second advent? We have already shown this in our 
chapters on the Jews. In connection with the 
promised gathering from all countries God says, 
' 'I will cleanse you, and will give you a new heart, 
and a new spirit will I put within you." Now how 
is all this to be accomplished? Just as it is to-day, 
by the operation of His Spirit. Accordingly, we 
have the declaration: 

"For I will take you from among* the heathen, and gather 
you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own 
land. 

"And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to 
walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and 
do them (Ezek.36:24-27). 

Thus we have the Word for it, and the terms are 
unmistakable. I will put my Spirit within you. The 
result is obedience to God, the keeping of His 
judgments, the walking in His statutes. 



The Sixth Dispensation, or the Millennium. 145 

Peter and James agree that this blessed result is 
accomplished when Christ returns. The word is, 
"I will return and will build again the tabernacle 
of David, which is fallen" (Acts 15:16). The 
same thought occurs in the promised restoration of 
Israel, as set forth in the resuscitation of the valley 
of dry bones. At the Divine command Ezekiel 
prophesied, and called for the breath to ' 'breathe 
upon these slain," and the word is, "breath came 
into them, and they lived." Thus the dead came 
forth from their graves, and the Lord speaking of 
this event-to-be says, "I will put my Spirit within 
you, and ye shall live" (Ezek. 37:9,10,14). 

It is evidently concerning this same time that 
God declares: 

"For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods 
upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, 
and my blessing upon thine offspring" (Isa. 44:3). 

He is speaking of Himself as the King of Israel, 
and He is not to be thus manifested till His return. 
In this connection He says of Israel, ' 'This people 
have I formed for myself," and to Jerusalem He 
says, "Thou shalt be inhabited." By the same 
prophet He avers that He will ' 'gather together the 
dispersed of Judah" (Isa. 43:21; 44:26; 11:12). It 
is at Christ's appearing and kingdom these 
things are to be accomplished. From this I 
argue that the reference is to the outpour- 
ing of the Spirit in the Dispensation to be. 
Accordingly the Comforter will be here in power in 
"the age to come," which is to be a "habitable 
world. " Paul, writing to the Hebrews of the danger 
of denying Christ and falling away into hopeless 

10 



146 Tlxe Blessed Hope. 

apostasy, speaks of some "who were made par- 
takers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the 
,good word of God, and the powers of the world 
to come" (Heb. 6:4,5). Now the word rendered 
* 'world" here is ' 'age" (aionos). In Hind's Interlinear 
^Greek-English Testament it is rendered "the works 
•of power of the age to come." How may a man 
•taste and know the powers of the age to come, or 
the works of power to be performed in that age, 
except through the blessing spoken of, even by the 
indwelling of the Spirit of God? We may receive 
His "power" now (Acts 1 :8), and this is the prom- 
ised power of the age to come, of which we have 
■•a prelibation in this present time. The argument 
seems conclusive as to the operations of the Spirit 
then as now. 



rite Kingdom. 147 



The Kingdom. 



CHAPTER XII. 

This is a large subject. To locate the Kingdom 
and determine its bounds is the question. Some 
have suggested a difference between the ''kingdom 
of God" and the "kingdom of heaven." They may 
be right; I do not know. Adam and Eve were 
certainly in the kingdom before their fall. But they 
passed under the dominion of Beelzebub, and the 
world has been subject to him through the inter- 
vening ages. We know he claimed possession of 
the earth, with its kingdoms and glory, in the very 
face of Christ, who did not dispute it. The Master 
Himself styles Satan "the prince of this world" 
(John 12 :31 ; 14 :30) . By St. Paul he is denominated 
"the god of this world" or age, and his power is 
shown in his ability to blind the minds of unbe- 
lievers against the gospel of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4). 

The Master doubtless had reference to the Mil- 
lennial era when He asked, ' 'How can one enter 
into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, 
except he first bind the strong man? And then he 
will spoil his house" (Matt. 12:29). It is during 
the thousand years that this strong man shall be 
bound, and then his house — the world — long occu- 
pied and controlled by him, will be despoiled of his 
trappings. So long as Satan remains unbound his 



148 The Blessed Hope. 

house, this world, will not be spoiled to him. He 
will continue to sow tares in the wheat, and will 
corrupt the very kingdom by the leaven of ungod- 
liness. His kingdom on earth, at present, is much 
more extensive than that of Christ. He rules more 
hearts, controls more lives, dominates larger circles, 
and obtains a ready following over a vastly larger 
portion of earth than our Lord. 

THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL 

God called "my kingdom," and by His authority 
David was placed upon its throne (1 Chron. 
17:14). But they rebelled, and the kingdom was 
taken from them, and they were cast out (Matt. 
21:33-45). 

Next comes the Church period, which is a spir- 
itual kingdom only. By it the calling of the will- 
ing and obedient souls out from the nations to the 
heart-union with Christ, represented between man 
and wife, is carried on. He is now gathering 
His bride, a holy, devoted and sanctified body, of 
which Christ is Head and Husband (Eph. 1:22, 23; 
5:22-32; Rev. 19:7, 8). The marriage is at the 
time of His return (Matt. 25:10; Luke 12:35,36). 
The bride is not all who are church members, but 
she is the church within the church, the sanctified 
ones. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in 
the first resurrection" (Rev. 20:6). "He gave 
Himself for the church that he might sanctify it 
.... and present it to Himself a glorious church" 
(Eph. 5:25-27). His wife hath made herself ready 
.... arrayed in fine linen .... the righteousness of 
saints. The kingdom in the church period is 



The Kingdom. 149 



wholly spiritual and " within you." Now it ' 'Com- 
eth not with observation," but in the "day of the 
Son of man" it will be observed, for it will shine 
like lightning, and every eye shall see Him (Luke 
17:20-24; Rev. 1:7; Matt. 24:30,31). 

But the church is not the kingdom. For it to 
"come" she daily prays (Matt. 6:10). This shows 
it is yet future — to come. 

We have shown [in other chapters] that the 
Kingdom shall be restored to Israel, and David's 
greater Son shall occupy the throne of David. 
"Thus saith the Lord God. Remove the diadem, 
and take off the crown. " ' 'I will overturn, overturn, 
overturn it, and it shall be no more till He come 
whose right it is, and I will give it to Him" 
(Ezek. 21:26,27). 

• While in some sense the church has a spiritual 
sovereignty, yet it is not proper to call it the King- 
dom. From the day that over the crucified 
Nazarene Pilate placed the regnant title, "Jesus 
the King of the Jews," our Saviour has been await- 
ing at His Father's right hand the day of His 
crowning; nor will His kingly prerogative be recog- 
nized among men till He shall come again and as- 
sume the scepter of sovereignty over the House of 
Israel, and through them and His risen saints over 
the whole world. He will be known among the 
Gentiles as Saviour through the present dispensa- 
tion, but at the time of the return He shall be 
recognized by all as King. To the Disciples He 
foretold the mighty convulsions that would attend 
His advent, how that the very earth and the 
heavens would tremble and the hearts of men fail. 



150 The Blessed Hope. 

But to them He said, "Look up, for your redemp- 
tion draweth nigh;'' and immediately adds, "When 
ye shall see these things come to pass, know ye 
that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand" (Luke 
21:26-31). He pledges Himself to the preservation 
of the identity of the Jewish nation till the time of 
this restoration of the Kingdom when He says, 
"This generation shall not pass away till all be ful- 
filled" (Verse 32). By the word "generation" 
(Greek genea) He does not mean to say that these 
things should happen in the lifetime of persons 
then living, but that the Jews as a distinct people 
should continue until all these things should be. 

Now it is evident the expression, "the kingdom 
of God is nigh at hand," is fuller than can properly 
attach to the kingdom of God as we now have it. 
Surely the Kingdom for which the Disciples shall 
look up and lift up their heads is bound to mean more 
and to embrace more than the church. The church 
is a limited institution, an elect, or called out body; 
but the Kingdom as then to be revealed, will be 
universal. It shall sway the nations and dominate 
every tongue and tribe. To Daniel was granted a 
vision of the crowning of the Son of man: 

"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son 
of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the 
Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 

"And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a 
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should 
serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which 
shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not 
be destroyed" (Dan. 7:13:14). 

This picture is full of meaning. It is a scene in 
the ' 'night visions." The central figure is the 



The Kingdom. 151 



'•Son of man." Any student of the New Testa- 
ment is bound to recognize the Prince. This title 
was afterward appropriated by our Lord Himself. 
"The Son of man is come to seek and to save that 
which was lost"' (Luke 19:10). Such was His pov- 
erty He had not where to lay His head (Matt. 
8:20). But now the scene changes. He who stood 
as a culprit, innocent, yet condemned, at the bar of 
Pilate, now rides forth from the heavens upon the 
clouds "with power and great glory" (Matt. 
24:30; 26:64). 

At His first advent His cradle was a manger. 
Poverty and ignominy were His portion; but now 
how different ! He rides upon clouds. Ten thousand 
times ten thousand of the glory-clad warriors of 
the skies accompany Him (Jude 14, 15; Rev. 
19:14). In glory He appears before the "Ancient 
of days." The picture is that of a prince drawing 
near to his father, that the crown of well-deserved 
empire may be placed upon his brow. This Crown- 
Prince, having borne humiliation as "the Son of 
man," now comes under the same title for his 
emblem of sovereignty. He draws near the All-glo- 
rious Father that He may be crowned King over that 
world in which He suffered martyrdom. To Him 
"there was given dominion," and a scepter of 
power. Men to whom He had subjected Himself 
must now plead with Him. Those who had re- 
jected His counsel must quickly make terms or be 
rejected (Ps. 2:10-12). 

His Kingdom is not weak or in any wise ephem- 
eral, but embraces all nations, peoples and lan- 
guages. No part of earth shall be exempted. His 



152 The Blessed Hope. 

sovereignty shall extend to all tribes and conditions 
of men, and His name shall be praised, and His 
orders be issued in every language and tongue. 
Then shall be fulfilled the prophecy, "I will turn 
to the people a pure language, that they may all 
call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with 
one consent (Zeph. 3:9). 

Daniel informs us that His dominion is an ever- 
lasting dominion which shall not pass away. The 
unselfish Christ will not consent to share the King- 
dom alone. His saints shall share it with Him. 

"But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, 
and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever" 
(Dan. 7:18). 

We are yet in the period foreshown by the great 
Babylonian Seer, when the ' 'horn makes war with 
the saints and prevails. " But at the time of the 
coming of the Prince, these holy, but long down- 
trodden ones, shall share with Him in His glory. So 
we again read, ' 'Judgment is given to the saints of 
the Most High;" for the time will come when the 
saints shall possess the kingdom. While the Lord 
shall be King, His saints shall reign with Him on 
earth, and with Him shall possess the crowns and 
the dominion under the whole heaven (Rev. 1: 
5,6; Dan. 7:18,27). Now it is certain that the King- 
dom, as herein set forth, is not the same as the 
church. Rather, we are in the period in which the 
saints are trodden under foot by the beast, or horn, 
which makes war with them (Dan. 7:21). The 
Kingdom is not given to the Son of man till He 
comes "in the clouds of heaven," and the day is 
necessarily future. He only takes possession at 



The Kingdom. 153 



his cloud-wrapt advent. But He has not yet so 
come, therefore He has not yet taken the Kingdom. 
We are yet praying, ' 'Thy kingdom come." The 
premises are from the word of God, the logic 
is correct, the conclusion unanswerable. 

The Prophet of Babylon agrees exactly with 
Jesus as to the setting up of the Kingdom when he 
locates it at the coming of the King in the clouds. 
It is concerning the time when nations are tremb- 
ling and the powers of the heavens are shaking, 
that our Lord says, "Know ye that the kingdom of 
God is nigh at hand." Whatever may be meant by, 
and embraced in, the "kingdom of God, which is 
among you," at the present day, it is not the same 
as that which our Lord shall possess, in connection 
with His saints, at the glorious day for which we 
a»re looking. 

To Nebuchadnezzar was granted a vision of the 
course of empire. The Lord accommodated the 
king's love of sovereignty and human pomp by 
portraying the world's successive empires under 
the figure of a huge man — a composite character. 
In this great image the head was of fine gold, the 
breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of 
brass, the legs of iron, the feet of iron and clay 
mixed (Dan. 2). In Daniel's explanation of the 
dream, he represented Nebuchadnezzar as the head 
of gold, and, indeed, his kingdom was in some re- 
spects the greatest of the world-ruling powers. 
It surpassed all others in luxury and splendor. 
Next to Nebuchadnezzar's came the Medo-Persian 
monarchy, represented by the arms and breasts of 
silver. It was inferior to the Babylonian, and yet 



154 TJie Blessed Hope. 



was a more extensive dominion. This was followed 
by the Macedonian empire, as represented by the 
belly and thighs of brass. Next in order we have 
the Roman, that cruel, crushing dynasty, repre- 
sented by the legs of iron. It was a ruthless, 
despotic government, which bruised and broke in 
pieces all the peoples over whom it held its iron 
sway. This was the last of the world-wide powers. 
Others have made fearful efforts to achieve uni- 
versal dominion, but they have all failed, and ever 
will. The Roman was followed by the ten king- 
doms, represented by the toes of the image, and 
these, being mixed iron and clay, represent mingled 
strength and weakness. As a fact, the territory 
held by the Roman empire has been divided into 
about ten kingdoms for centuries. These have 
varied more or less, have frequently shifted, but, 
with remarkable accuracy, the number has been 
kept up. The head of the image the Lord revealed 
to the great king was emblematic of his own do- 
minion; the Babylonian empire, being represented 
by the head of gold. It was one and undivided, 
and was a kingdom of rare splendor and majesty. 
Perhaps greater pomp and wealth were never 
known in any government than that of which 
Nebuchadnezzar was the head. After him we find 
the empire represented by silver, which indicates 
a decadence. The Medo-Persian kingdom was 
more extensive than its predecessor, but not so 
luxurious. It was followed by the world-wide 
victories of Alexander the Great. Decadence con- 
tinues, however, in that silver is supplanted by 
brass. And yet the sweep of his power and the 



The Kingdom. 155 



extent of his conquests is the wonder of the ages. 
But Alexander had no proper successor. His king- 
dom was weakened by divisions. Instead of the 
virility and all-conquering power of the great 
leader, four of his generals assayed to be his suc- 
cessors, and under them the world-power soon fell 
into four kingdoms full of jealousy and rivalry, 
and that means weakness. 

The Roman empire next claims our attention. It 
lacked the splendor of its predecessors, in that the 
gold, silver and brass gave place to iron. As this 
is the strongest of substances, so the empire of the 
Caesars was the most extensive and overpowering 
of them all. But here again we find division. The 
image had two legs, and so the vast Roman empire 
was split in two, having an Eastern and a "Western 
division, with capitols at Constantinople and Rome 
respectively. 

Whether we have yet entered the toe stage of 
this image is a question upon which students of 
prophecy differ. The Eastern and Western sec- 
tions of the Roman empire are yet visible. Roman 
law is yet the basis of national legislation. As the 
legs of the image are longer than the toes, the . 
probability is that the final division into the ten 
kingdoms is yet future, Of that we will not speak 
dogmatically. However, we know that the image 
is an inspired prediction as to the course of empire. 
We have also seen a practical division of Roman 
territory into about ten states. But there may be 
a new alignment of the nations yet that will answer 
to the toe stage of the image. 



156 Tlie Blessed Hope. 

THE STONE AGE. 

The feature to which we call the reader's especial 
attention is that which introduces the stone king- 
dom, which is that of our Lord. We are told that 
the stone is cut out of the mountain without hands, 
* 'which shall break in pieces the iron, and the brass, 
the clay, the silver, and the gold." Christ is fre- 
quently called a ' 'stone. " Even that stone which 
was rejected by the builders, but has become the 
head of the corner (Matt. 21:42). - 

The prophet informs us, "In the days of these 
kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom 
which shall never be destroyed." It "shall not be 
left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and 
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for- 
ever" (Dan. 2:44). A controversy of centuries 
has waged over this kingdom which the God of 
heaven is to set up. Does it indicate the Gospel 
Dispensation of the past nineteen centuries, or do 
we yet look for the kingdom? Some say the king- 
dom has been in force upon earth ever since Pen- 
tecost. We repudiate this, and insist that the stone 
cut out without hands, which is to fill the whole 
earth with the Kingdom and glory of God, is yet 
to be manifested. In support of our position we 
offer the following considerations: 

(1) The appearance of ik the Stone" is not in the time 
of the tvorld-tvide kingdoms, but after their division 
into ten. Before it is introduced the head of gold, 
the breast of silver, the thighs of brass, the legs 
of iron have all had their day and finished their 
course. The universal monarchies have given 



The Kingdom, 157 



place to ten kingdoms — the toes of the image, 
indicating clearly that the divided condition of the 
last universal empire had been reached. But this 
was not true at the birth of Jesus, for Rome was 
then at the height of her imperial glory. She was 
yet reaching forth to greater power and more ex- 
tensive dominion. Her destruction of Jerusalem 
was thirty-seven years after the Pentecost, seventy 
years after the birth of the Messiah. But the 
prophecy shows plainly that the Stone was to 
smite the image upon his feet, which were of iron 
and clay, and to break them in pieces (Dan. 2:34). 
Since the toe stage had not been reached at the 
time of the birth of Qhrist, nor for centuries after- 
ward, the conclusion is inevitable that His coming 
did not represent the appearance of the Stone, or 
inaugurate the Kingdom which God was to set up 
"in the days of those (ten) kings." 

(2) Furthermore, the action of the Stone is judicial. 
It appears in judgment, whereas the gospel of Christ 
is representative of the grace of God. Noiv we are 
to pray for "kings and all that are in authority" 
(1 Tim. 2:2), and exhorted to be subject to the 
higher powers, which, we are told, are ordained of 
God (Rom. 13:1-4). 

But when the Stone appears, it is not to permeate 
the existing kingdoms with the grace of God that 
ennobles and strengthens them, but it is to strike 
and "break them in pieces." It is to smash them 
to smithereens, and grind them to powder, till they 
become "like the chaff of the summer threshing 
floors," and the wind is to "carry them away, that 
no place may be found for them" (Verse 35). 



158 The Blessed Hope. 



How different this from the influence of the gos- 
pel, which works for the purification, not the aboli- 
tion, of existing governments. But the Stone breaks, 
threshes, grinds and utterly despoils all that re- 
mains of the world-wide empires. They are to be 
swept entirely from the field, and then it is that 
the Stone which "smote the image became a great 
mountain and filled the whole earth. " The earth is 
not filled with the Lord's Kingdom till all other gov- 
ernments are utterly consumed and entirely swept 
from the field. The kingdom of the Stone is 
antagonistic to all the kingdoms represented by the 
great image. It has nothing in common with them, 
and will not tolerate them. The kingdoms are 
allowed to supersede each other till the extremities 
of the image are reached. Then, and not before, 
the Stone appears and begins the work of demo- 
lition. 

(3) Our argument is borne out by the condition of 
the saints. This is the age in which they are 
trodden under foot. This is the devil's time, in 
which the kingdoms hold sway, and the horn is 
allowed to make war with the saints and to pre- 
vail against them (Dan. 7:21). Now the holy ones 
must endure hardness as good soldiers (2 Tim. 
2:3), and fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12), 
for we wrestle against principalities and powers 
(Eph. 6:17). 

(4) When the Stone Kingdom begins it ivill be 
exclusively in the hands of Christ and His saints. 
"The kingdom shall not be left to other people, 
but it shall break in pieces and consume all these 
kingdoms, and it shall stand forever'' (Verse 44). 



The Kingdom. 159 



As matters now stand, a real Christian seldom 
bears rule. If he is religious when he enters 
politics, he generally backslides. Look at Presi- 
dent McKinley. Though a member of the Methodist 
church he tolerated and sanctioned by his presence 
an abominable inaugural ball, which, the papers 
say, cost the government $50,000. He also drinks 
wine, and allowed a godless attorney-general, as 
tool of the whisky ring, to nullify the action of 
Congress on the army canteen, till the National 
Legislature had to pass the law a second time. 
Many of earth's rulers are notoriously wicked, 
after nineteen centuries of the gospel. But from 
its beginning the Stone Kingdom "shall not be 
left to other people," but the saints shall possess 
the kingdom (Dan. 7:18,27). This puts the argu- 
ment in the shape of a demonstration. 

Before leaving this point we would call the 
reader's attention to another vision. It was revealed 
to the beloved Daniel (chap. 7:1-12). While the 
Lord accommodated His revelation of the progress 
of empire to the great king under the figure of the 
image which we have been considering, yet when 
the same matter was shown to Daniel, the image 
was not a great and magnificent man, but instead, 
there appear upon the scene four wild, terrific 
beasts. These contend one against another for the 
mastery. It is said that while the lower side of the 
cloud is very dark, it may be exceedingly bright 
upon the upper side. Accordingly, its appearance 
to us will be determined by our point of view. So 
with human governments. To man they represent 
splendor, greatness, majesty. Political preferment 



160 The Blessed Hope. 

Is sought, and its honors coveted by man, in his 
blindness. To human vision the headship of gov- 
ernment represents only honor and glory. But 
from God's standpoint, from His holy height, as 
now conducted it is more properly represented by 
the wild and unseemly beasts. 

Each of these four beasts has his day. Of the 
fourth we are told that he was ' 'dreadf ul and terri- 
ble, and strong exceedingly." He is described as 
having iron teeth, and it is said that he devoured, 
and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with 
his feet (Dan. 7:7). As the colossal image termi- 
nated in ten toes, so this fourth beast had ten 
horns. The horns are symbols of power, and thus 
we have the ten kingdoms superseding the one 
universal dominion of Rome. Now, strange 
enough, from among the ten horns there springs 
up "another little horn, before whom there were 
three of the first horns plucked up by the roots' ' 
(verse 8). This clearly reveals the Papacy. In 
the days of the breaking up of Roman dominion, 
and the former powers, he wrenches the crown 
from three kingdoms. We know that such is the 
history of the pope. There were three states in 
what was known as the Pope's temporal kingdom; 
these the Papacy subdued. The territory of the 
Ostrogoths, of the Lombards, and the kingdom 
of Ravenna were given the pope by Pepin, the 
king of France, who, by force, established the so- 
called successor of Peter in the triple-throne king- 
dom. This little horn had "eyes like the eyes of 
a man, and a mouth speaking great things. " While 
his own kingdom and direct temporal sovereignty 



The Kingdom. 161 



was small, yet the pope exerted a pervasive and 
all-powerful influence over the kingdoms of 
Europe. He crowned kings and emperors at his 
will, and dethroned others who offended his pride r 
or aroused his prejudice. At one time he made 
Henry of Germany, one of the most powerful 
monarchs in all Europe, wait at his gate trembling 
and bare foot three days in midwinter, imploring 
the clemency of this apostate head of the church 
of Rome. 

Now, it is after this little horn has had his day 
that the "Ancient of days" appears, and gives to 
the Son of man the Kingdom. This fully conforms 
to our argument, and shows that the kingdom of 
the Stone has not yet been established, nor will it 
be till the Son of man shall come in the clouds. 

THE NOBLEMAN. 

In His parable of the Nobleman going into a. 
far country to receive for himself a kingdom (Luke 
19:11-27), the Master gave some very valuable 
points upon the question in hand. 

(1) Observe here, He speaks this parable, "Because 
they thought the kingdom of God should immediately 
appear (verse 11). They were in error; and by this 
means our Lord put before them and us a bit of 
important information, viz., that the Kingdom will 
not appear till the Nobleman shall return from His 
trip to the far country. As He has not yet re- 
turned, it is manifest that the time of the Kingdom 
is not yet. 

(2) Is there any question as to ivho the Nobleman is? 

Surely not. It refers manifestly to Jesus Himself. 

n 



162 The Blessed Hope. 

No other could answer the requirements of the 
parable. 

(3) Whence the Kingdom? It is of foreign, that is 
heavenly, origin. As He Himself expressed it, 
"My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). 
He does not say that His kingdom shall not extend 
over this world, for it shall; but simply that it has 
its source elsewhere. It is not from or out of this 
world, does not originate here. "He went into a 

far country to receive for Himself a kingdom." 
Heaven is the far country. There He receives His 
commission, but the earth shall be the field of His 
sovereignty. When He receives His kingdom He 
will return to this world to exercise His preroga- 
tives. As we have shown in our comment upon 
Daniel's vision (Dan. 7:13,14), the time of His in- 
vestiture with kingly authority is the day of His 
return in the clouds. It is then that He shall be 
clothed with power and great glory. 

(4) It is clear from the parable that the earth is yet 
without the presence of its rightful Ruler. It con- 
tinues to this day under the prince of darkness, 
who, as the "god of this world," rules in the affairs 
of men. The nations are yet in rebellion against 
the "Holy One of Israel." But the time is coming 
when "the Lord shall be King over all the earth" 
(Zech. 14:9). But this is preceded by His coming 
in the clouds with all His saints (verses 4,5). 

(5) His citizens hated Him. While Christ is the 
very embodiment of love, yet He is not received in 
the spirit of love. Though kindness itself, He was 
treated unkindly and cruelly. "His own," who 
"received Him not," preferred the dominion of 



The Kingdom. 163 



Caesar to that of the humble Nazarene. They who 
should have welcomed Him with open arms re- 
jected, spat upon, and crowned Him with thorns. 

(6) The servant's day. In his absence they are 
left in possession of His goods and He bids them, 
''Occupy till I come." If Post-millennialism were 
true, their occupancy would result in the entire 
subjugation of earth to the Nobleman. But not so. 
Returning, He finds some servants to have been 
faithful, turning the single pound into five in one 
case, to ten in another. But among even the 
servants there is found unfaithfulness. The talent 
which should have been used was wrapt in a napkin 
and buried. This servant's worthlessness was con- 
demned, and his talent passed over to a more faith- 
ful fellow-laborer. When does this occur? At the 
return of the Nobleman with His scepter of do- 
minion, His crown of kingly power. We note that 
at His coming there is: 

(a) The Reward of the Servants. 

The faithful ones are appointed over cities, ac- 
cording to their several capacities. Some over 
five, some over ten. 

That it is not the end of the world, as some con- 
tend, is manifest by the continuance of the cities 
over which the servants exercise their authority. 
New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, San 
Francisco, under the government of faithful officers, 
appointed by the King, will present a very changed 
appearance, as compared with their present condi- 
tion. Imagine St. Paul acting under Immanuel as 
President of the United States, Peter King of 
England, James superseding the Czar of Russia, 



164 The Blessed Hope. 

John as Emperor of China, Bartholomew succeed- 
ing to the throne of Kaiser William of Germany. 
Imagine the guileless Nathaniel as President of the 
turbulent French Republic. How about John 
Wesley for Mayor of London, or the immortal 
dreamer, John Bunyan, as Mayor of Paris? How 
would D. L. Moody do for Chicago's chief officer? 
or Jonathan Edwards for Mayor of Greater New 
York? It is clear that the faithful, those who have 
been diligent in the use of the talent entrusted to 
them, will be appointed over cities according to 
each man's capacity. Such is the record, however 
much spiritualizers may pooh! pooh! the idea. 
"Know ye not that the saints shall judge, rule or 
shepherdize, the world?" (1 Cor. 6:2). 

(b) But the King's assumption of power shall be 
accompanied by the punishment of the unfaithful 
servants as well as the crowning of the saints. 
While His good servants are being rewarded, His 
enemies, who hated Him, and declared that He 
should not rule over them, are destroyed before His 
face. The saintly ones, who have been faithful in 
His absence, though hated of the world, and trod- 
den under foot by the wicked, now enter upon 
their inheritance. The Master said, "Blessed are 
the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 
5:5). 

"In his days shall the righteous flourish: and abundance 
of peace so long as the moon endureth. 

u He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from 
the river unto the ends of the earth" (Psa. 72:7,8). 



The Kingdom. 165 



The Kingdom— (Continued). 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Disciples asked our Lord, just before He 
was parted from them and received into the 
heavens, "Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore 
again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). 

He did not, like our modern spiritualizers, de- 
clare that the kingdom should never again be 
restored to Israel, but simply said unto them, "It 
is not for you to know the times and seasons which 
the Father hath put in His own power," or au- 
thority. Without denying the fact that the King- 
dom shall, in due course, be restored to Israel, He 
simply held the question of its date in reserve. 
Does this not remind the reader of another word 
spoken with reference to the Kingdom? Listen! 
"Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not 
the angels in heaven, but my Father only" (Matt. 
24:36). In a parallel passage He even disclaims 
the knowledge of the time Himself (Mark 13:32). 
It is evident that ere this He knows, for He is with 
the Father in His glory. But in the day of His 
humiliation He left the time of the restoration of 
the kingdom of Israel with His Father. Some, 
because of this uncertainty as to the time of the 
Master's coming, have refused to investigate or 
consider the question at all. They affirm that it is 
a question of which we may know nothing, and 



166 TJie Blessed Hojje. 



thus justify their neglect of it; but this is foolish. 
While we may not know the time, we should regard 
it as ever imminent. We should not neglect the 
matter as a thing which shall never occur, because 
of the uncertainty of its time; but because the 
hour when it shall break upon the world is clad in 
mystery, being unrevealed,we should hold ourselves 
every ready for the event. The uncertainty as to 
the time of His coming, instead of allaying in- 
terest should intensify it. Not knowing the hour, 
let us be ready to-day. 

The question of interest to all students of the 
Kingdom is: 

Where shall the Kingdom be located? Here our old 
controversy is revived. Spiritualizers, symbolizing 
every reference to the Jews, and to the exercise of 
authority over the nations, are in the habit of 
locating the Kingdom far away in the heavens. 
But there is nothing more clearly taught in the 
word of God than that Christ's Kingdom shall 
prevail over the earth. It shall stretch from shore 
to shore, embracing all languages and nations 
and tongues. Let us examine a few passages of 
Scripture: Christ shall have the heathen for an 
inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth 
for a possession (Ps. 2:8). He shall speak peace 
unto the heathen, and His dominion extend from 
the river to the ends of the earth (Zech. 9:10). 
His kingdom shall break in pieces and consume all 
other kingdoms, and fill the whole earth (Dan. 2: 
35-44). The Lord will cause righteousness and 
praise to spring forth before all nations (Isa. 61 :11). 
They shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; 



The Kingdom, 167 



and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the 
name of the Lord, to Jerusalem, in that day 
wickedness shall be dethroned, as we read, neither 
shall they walk any more after the imagination of 
their evil heart (Jer. 3:17). Then shall be fulfilled 
the prophecy by Habakkuk. 

"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the 
glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Chapter 
2:14). 

Isaiah pictures the day of His coming in beauti- 
ful colors. Hear him: 

"The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb, and the leopard 
shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion 
and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 

"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: 
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as 
the waters cover the sea" (Isa, 11:6-9). 

Elsewhere the same prophet says of Jerusalem, 
"In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make 
unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wine 
on the lees .... and He will destroy .... the vail 
that is spread over all nations, He will swallow up 
death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away 
tears from off all faces." "The Lord of hosts 
shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and 
before His ancients gloriously" (Isa. 24:23; 25:6-8). 
It is of this time that the prophet says: "The 
people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; thou shalt 
weep no more" (Isa. 30:19). We note the following 
strong language from the Psalms: 

"All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto 
the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship 
before thee. 

"For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor 
among the nations" (Ps. 22:27,28). 



168 TJie Blessed Hope. 

The blood- washed kings and priests from the 
glory-world are heard to take up their song of 
praise, saying: 

"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and 
four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having 1 
every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, 
which are the prayers of saints. 

"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to 
take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast 
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every 
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 

"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and 
we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:8,9,10). 

The pean of praise spreads, the thrilling song of 
holy rapture increases. The lonely Seer of Pat- 
mos was granted the privilege of hearing the 
mighty volume of glorious song at the coronation 
of the King. He says, "I heard the voice of many 
angels round about the throne," and the number 
of them was ten thousand times ten thousand 

"Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was 
slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, 
and honour, and glory, and blessing. 

"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, 
and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I 
saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto 
him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for 
ever and ever" (Rev. 5:12,13). 

A little later on comes the mighty earthquake 
spoken of by Zechariah (14:4,5), and by John on 
Patmos (Rev. 11:13). The voice from heaven 
breaks forth again, saying, ' 'The kingdoms of this 
world are become the kingdom of our Lord and 
of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever 
(Rev. 11:15). Again we read concerning this time, 
that "the nations were angry," and why? Because 



The Kingdom. 169 



He destroyed them which destroyed the earth 
<Rev. 11:18). 

We have shown in other chapters that wicked- 
ness continues uninterruptedly till the appearing 
of the King. Now in this one we show that He 
shall reign on the earth, and have dominion over 
all languages and tribes and peoples (Dan. 7:14). 
That His Kingdom shall be under the whole 
heaven, that He shall be King over all the earth, 
and yet Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited (Dan. 
7:27; Zech. 14:9-11). From all of which the con- 
clusion is inevitable: He shall reign after His 
return. 



170 Tfie Blessed Hope. 



The Renewed Earth. 



« CHAPTER XIV. 

The work of redemption is much more extensive 
and complete as set forth in the word of God than 
is generally supposed. The extent of the deliver- 
ance is generally limited to the eternal salvation of a 
small portion of the inhabitants of earth under the 
present regime. The average Bible reader, seeing 
the broad way filled with a mighty stream of men 
pouring into eternity unsaved, while upon the 
narrow road but an occasional straggler makes his 
way to the celestial city, is naturally led to question 
the wisdom of creation. Why should God make 
man, when so few are to be saved, while such vast 
multitudes are to perish? We wish to comfort suck 
inquirers by the promise of a renewed earth, which 
shall be populated for countless ages with a pure, 
holy, happy people. 

We know that in the beginning this world was 
uncontaminated by sin. It was as free from every 
evil as the heavens. There was no sin, conse- 
quently no sorrow, no suffering, no sickening 
miasma, no burning fevers, no excruciating rheu- 
matism, no devouring consumption, no expectation 
of death — in short, there was no sorrow or evil of 
any kind. In Holy writ we read: 

"For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God 
himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath estab- 
lished it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be in- 
habited: I am the Lord, and there is none else" (Isa. 45:18). 



Tlie Renewed Earth. 171 

What did God make this world for? He answers 
"to be inhabited." Was it a vain creation? He 
Himself avers that it was not. "He created it not 
in vain." The popular idea about the destruction 
of the earth, the dissolution and winding up of all 
things material, is erroneous. But if it is to know 
no better era than the present, it would seem to 
have been a vain creation — a mere graveyard, on 
which men spend a day of sorrow and drop into 
the tomb, the majority of them going from this 
world of sin and suffering and death to a hell much 
worse. But God made this world "to be inhabited, " 
and "He created it not in vain." Glory! The 
present order of things is an interregnum in the 
plan of God. By the fall of man the divine order 
wa^s frustrated for a time, while sin holds sway, but 
sin shall end; and the earth renewed shall be the 
home of an immortal and sinless race of people, 
who, like Adam before the fall, shall continue to 
propagate their species and occupy the earth, with- 
out being subject to the curse of sin or the ravages 
of disease and death. Let us see if we can find 
Scriptural support for these assertions. It is best 
that we keep within the bounds of revelation. All 
we may know of the future must be learned from 
the pages of inspiration. 

We call the reader's attention to the exhortation 
of Peter recorded in Acts: 

;, Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins 
may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come 
from the presence of the Lord; 

"And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was 
preached unto you: 

"Whom the heaven must receive until the times of resti- 
tution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of 
all his holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:19-21), 



172 TJie Blessed Hope. 

The people are exhorted to repent that their sins 
may be blotted out, and that they may have times 
of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and 
that the return of Jesus may be hastened. He 
asserts that the heavens must receive or retain 
Jesus until a certain time, at which He is to return. 
What is this time? It is a period for the "restitu- 
tion" of all things. The word rendered restitution 
is apokatastaseos. It is defined by Pickering, "res- 
titution," "restoration," "re-establishment." "A 
complete cycle or revolution in the heavens, when 
the sun, moon and planets return to the same 
place." In the Revised Version the word used is 
"restoration." Now, what is the meaning? Does 
it not imply that the earth shall have a perfect 
renovation, by which it shall be purged of every 
evil; purified from all the defilements of sin; ex- 
empted from all the effects of the curse; and 
restored to its original healthfulness, purity and 
fruitfulness? It shall be brought back to its 
original form, and made as it would have continued 
from the beginning had sin never entered. *We 
remember that the curse affects not only man, but 
the whole world — if not, indeed, other parts of our 
universe. The sun was darkened when Jesus died 
(Matt. 27:45), and the heavenly orbs shall be won- 
derfully affected when He returns (Mark 13:24-26). 
The heavens are also to be renewed, as well as the 
earth (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1). Was not the ground 



*This is the word used by Mark (3:5) to describe the heal- 
ing- of a withered arm, ' ; He stretched it out, and his hand 
was restored (apokatesthate) sound as the other." 



The Renewed Earth. 173 

cursed because of sin? Did not God say to Adam, 
"Cursed is the ground for thy sake?" 

''And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened 
unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of 
which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shall not eat of it: 
cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shall thou eat 
of it all the days of thy life; 

"Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee: and 
thou shalt eat the herb of the field: 

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou 
return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken: for 
dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:17-19). 

We behold these dreadful effects of the fall. 
They reach all the world, involving man and beast, 
with the very soil beneath our feet. The thorns, 
thistles, the multiplied sorrows, the sweat of the 
face, and, last of all, the curse of curses — death — all 
these result from the fall. They were not in God's 
plan. He has accordingly undertaken agencies for 
the purgation and renewal of this world. He 
pledges Himself to bring it back to Edenic holi- 
ness and happiness, to harmony with Himself, 
and the holy, unfallen inhabitants of other happy 
worlds. All who can be saved of the race will be 
redeemed and purified. Those who are incorrigibly 
wicked will be turned into hell; but the earth shall 
continue, and shall be populous and happy. 

Solomon says: 

"One generation passeth away, and another generation 
cometh: but the earth abideth forever" (Ecc. 1:4). 

David also, speaking of <*od, says, He 'laid the 
foundations of the earth, that it should not be re- 
moved forever." He also informs us that, "The 
sinners shall be consumed out of the earth, and the 



174 The Blessed Hope. 

wicked shall be no more" (Ps. 104:5,35). In one of 
his rapturous flights the Psalmist cries out: 

"Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful 
together 

"Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with 
righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with 
equity" (Ps. 98:8,9). 

He would have the whole earth make a joyful 
noise unto the Lord to welcome Him when He 
comes, not to inaugurate a universal destruction, 
but to perfect His world-wide redemption; to judge 
and rule the world. 

Paul informs us that the whole creation was 
"subjected to vanity," but he adds, "that it shall 
be brought from the bondage of corruption into the 
freedom of the glory of the children of God." 
Such is the Greek of Romans (8:20-22). He speaks 
of the creation groaning and travailing as yet, but 
points out that it waits in earnest expectation for 
the "revelation'' of the sons of God. The reader 
will observe that we are not following the King 
James Translation. We have given instead the 
literal Greek (Hinds' Interlinear N. T.). The 
apostle is attempting to show us the widespread 
effects of the curse; how that it involves the whole 
earthly creation, if not, indeed, the entire universe. 
When a man has a bonef elon on his little finger, his 
whole body suffers in consequence. So the whole 
earth is suffering the evils of the fall, and universal 
creation feels the nervous shock and groans unut- 
terably. But this groaning shall cease. When? 
At the manifestation of the sons of God. St. John 
says, "We know that when He shall be manifested 
we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He 



The Renewed Earth. 175 

is" (1 John 3:2). Tben the groaning of creation 
shall cease. This agrees exactly with the passage 
we have introduced from Peter, in which he affirms 
that when Christ shall return from heaven all 
things shall be restored. 

There is a remarkable passage in the Epistle to 
the Hebrews. Its thought is obscure in the Com- 
mon Version. The Greek is clear. Speaking of 
the extent of Christ's Kingdom, it is said, "Thou 
didst set him over the works of thy hands; all 
things thou didst subject under his feet." "For 
not to angels did he subject the habitable world 
which is to come, of which we speak" (Heb. 2:8,5). 
The word rendered ' 'habitable world" is oikoumenen. 
It does not simply mean "the world," but its defini- 
tion includes the word "habitable," as we have 
given it. The same word is used elsewhere. 
"When he bringeth in the First-begotten into the 
habitable world, he saith, And let all the angels 
worship him" (Heb. 1:6). There are three other 
words sometimes rendered "world," ge, the earth, 
i. e., the land, the globe proper; kosmos, the outside 
drapery of the earth, its order and beauty, "called 
by the Latins, mundus; the collective race of men; 
the wicked" — Pickering. It properly stands, not 
for the earth, but for the spirit that governs it, or 
rules among the men of the world. Another word 
frequently rendered world is aionos, which means 
"age or dispensation," as the present age, time 
or era. It is a world of time rather than of 
matter. A period that has its limitations — past 
and future. When Christ speaks of gathering the 
tares from among the wheat at the end of the 



176 The Blessed Hope, 

world, the word is aionos, and means at the end of 
the present age, era, or dispensation, when He 
shall come to renovate the earth and establish a 
new order of things. Now the word used in the 
passage in Hebrews, which we have just quoted, is 
none of these last defined words. It is one that 
means a world that is established for and adapted 
to habitation, one that is inhabited. Now remem- 
ber that the ' 'habitable world to come" is put under 
the dominion of Christ; whereas the Devil is called 
"the prince" or god of this world, that is, of this 
present age or of the world (kosmos) in this dis- 
pensation. Thus we see the two forces of the 
world, the Devil ruling it is as it now is, Christ to 
rule it as it shall be, and that it shall continue to 
be habitable while under His dominion. In fact, it 
would be remarkably strange that God should build 
a world and leave it to the devil for thousands of 
years, and then destroy it when Satan's reign 
ends. 



OBJECTIONS. 

The objector insists that "heaven and earth shall 
pass away" (Matt. 5:18). Rather, Jesus said, 
"Till heaven and earth shall pass away," etc." 
As if He had said, My word cannot fail, but it is as 
immovable as heaven and earth. But John said, 
"The first heaven and the first earth is passed 
away" (Rev. 21:1). Elsewhere the same writer 
saw how that from the presence of the Great 
White Throne, and Him that sat thereon, "the 
earth and the heaven fled away" (Rev. 20:11). 



The Renewed Earth. 177 

Again in Peter we read, "the earth also, and the 
works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet. 
3:10). We grant that the Scriptures above quoted 
are strong. Taken alone they seem to indicate the 
destruction of the earth and the annihilation of all 
things material. But Peter informs us that "no 
prophecy of the Scripture is of any private inter- 
pretation" (2 Pet. 1:20). The meaning evidently is, 
that no passage of God's word is to be considered 
alone. It must be taken in connection with other 
parts bearing upon the same subject. Beyond all 
question, the purgation of the earth shall be 
thorough, the changes wrought deep and mighty, 
but we do not believe that it can be safely inferred 
from the above Scriptures that the earth shall in 
any wise be annihilated. Peter, speaking of the 
flood, says, ' 'The world that then was, being over 
flowed with water, perished." And yet we know 
that it was not annihilated. The wickedness was 
pealed off, as the word "appoleto, " translated perish, 
would indicate. Paul tells us that ' 'If any man be 
in Christ Jesus he is a new creation; the old things 
have passed away; behold all things are become 
new." The same word is used in this passage that 
is used by St. John when he said "The first heaven 
and the first earth are passed away." The word is 
parelthen, and means ' 'to go forward, or pass on as 
a cloud." It certainly does not teach the annihila- 
tion of the man. Rather, it indicates the passing 
out from his life of those things which have 
characterized him as a sinner. The habits, manner 
of life, inward and outward, the things that have 
made up his life as a sinner, are changed, and he 

12 



178 The Blessed Hope. 

enters upon a new spiritual existence — he is a new 
man. So with the earth. The man's regeneration 
makes his conduct different, changes his character 
while yet having the same body, blood, bones, 
brains — the same features and name, the husband 
of the same wife, the father of the same children, 
the wearer of the same clothes — -in short, the same 
man, and yet a neiv creature. Christ speaks of the 
regeneration of the earth (Matt. 19:28), and states 
that at the time of the rejuvenation the disciples 
shall sit with Him on thrones judging the twelve 
tribes of Israel. 

Now, does this not give us a key to the passing 
away of the earth? Is it not simply the overthrow 
of its carnal elements, the destruction of its evils, 
the burning out of its dross, the sweeping from it 
and out of it the sin and death, the pollution and 
poison which were brought into it by the introduc- 
tion of sin? With this view we have harmony in 
the teachings of the Word. Solomon says, "the 
earth abideth forever." David, that "it shall not 
be removed forever. " Isaiah that * 'God hath estab- 
lished it; he created it not in vain." He further 
says, "Thy people shall be all righteous; they 
shall inherit the land forever;" "the Lord shall be 
thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourn- 
ing shall be ended." Hallelujah! Ezekiel declares 
that the children of Jacob shall inherit the land of 
their fathers, "and dwell therein forever" (Ecc. 
1:4; Psa. 104:5; Isa. 45:18; 60:20, 21; Ez. 37:25). 
We remember He had promised His blessing to the 
seed of Abraham to "a thousand generations" 
{Deut. 7:9), and "confirmed the same to Jacob for 



The Renewed Earth. 179 

a law, to Israel for an everlasting covenant" (1 
Chron. 16:15-17). 

David declares, "Thy kingdom is an everlasting 
kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout 
all generations (Psa. 145:13). One of the strong 
passages concerning the kingdom on earth and its 
perpetuity through all generations is the following: 

"I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn 
unto David my servant, 

"Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne 
to all generations. Selah" (Psa. 89:3,4). 

God has sworn that the seed of David shall be 
established and his throne built, and that it shall 
endure forever. Observe the word "generations." 
It necessarily implies the perpetuity of the race as 
such. It indicates a progeny, the increase of popu- 
lation. 

But we call the reader's attention to another 
point, viz., the "New Earth." Peter says: 

"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new 
heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" 
(2 Pet. 3:13). 

In this he agrees with John, who declares, "I 
saw a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1). 
Through Isaiah God speaks of this new earth in 
very strong language. 

"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will 
make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your 
seed and your name remain. 

"And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to 
another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh 
come to worship before me, saith the Lord. 

•'And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of 
the men that have transgressed against me, for their worm 
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they 
shall be an abhorring unto all flesh" (Isa. 66:22-24). 



180 The Blessed Hope. 

He is speaking to the Israelites, especially to the 
priests and Levites. He asserts absolutely that 
the new earth shall remain before Him, and 
pledges Himself also that their seed and name shall 
likewise remain. Furthermore, this is after the 
judgment, for they look upon the carcases of 
transgressors, whose "fire is not quenched," and 
yet all "flesh" comes to worship before God. It 
shows there will be worshipers in the flesh in the 
new earth which does not appear until after the 
judgment (Rev. 20:11; 21:1). 

Whether the new earth shall be made out of the 
old, as we believe, or shall be an entirely new 
creation, is really immaterial. The truth remains 
that there shall be a new earth, and in it generation 
shall succeed generation. These "nations" of the 
new earth shall be healed by the leaves from the 
tree of life, and they shall walk in the light of the 
Lord God. They shall not be subject to death, 
neither sorrow nor crying, for the former things 
are passed away" (Rev. 22:2-5: 21:4). "We know 
that "nations" are not composed of angels, but of 
men. What is the healing promised them? Does 
it not mean that through the leaves from the tree 
of life they shall be rendered immortal? Are not 
the leaves for their preservation in health and 
strength rather than for their recovery from dis- 
ease and decay? We remember that Adam was 
excluded from this tree after the fall "lest he put 
forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, 
and eat and live forever" (Gen. 3:22). Now, in the 
restoration of all things which the Lord God has 
promised by all His prophets (Acts 3:21), man is 



The Renewed Earth. 181 

brought back to that tree from which he has long 
been excluded. We see that in the kingdom which 
fills the new earth man has access to the tree of 
immortality. The nations walk in its shadow, par- 
take of its benefits, rear their offspring under its 
life-giving benediction, and walk in God's blessings, 
a holy, happy people. 

From all that has been said, we conclude (1) The 
earth proper shall abide. (2) Its evils shall be 
burned up by fire as dross is purged from gold 
and silver. (3) All sin and sinners shall be over- 
thrown. (4) The good shall remain, the holy abide. 
The earth shall be renewed as in the days of 
Edenic glory, and on it shall be nations and gener- 
ations of people. (5) The population of the earth 
shall continue, as it would have done had sin not 
entered. (6) Over this redeemed earth and its 
multiplying population the Lord shall be King, not 
simply for a thousand years, but forever. (7) The 
"thousand years" is not the Kingdom in its fulness, 
but simply its beginning, the time of its inaugura- 
tion, the Judgment Day, for one day is with the 
Lord as a thousand years, says Peter, speaking of 
this subject (2 Pet. 3:7,8). The Kingdom proper 
extends beyond that thousand years, which is sim- 
ply the day of its establishment, the time of over- 
throwing its adversaries. (8) Not only shall the 
earth be subjected, but all the other worlds (Phil. 
2:9-11). (9) This subjecting of all things is 
effected, not by preaching simply, as in our day, 
but by the same power which raises the dead, a 
supernatural, miraculous power. Paul says it is 
* 'according to the working whereby H.e is able to 



182 The Blessed Hope. 

subdue all things unto Himself;" that is, the resur- 
rection is according to this power (Phil. 3 :20, 21). It 
shows that the same power which raises the dead 
will subdue the rebellious and bring the nations 
into subjection. 

I submit my readers the following very forceful 
extract from Seiss' great exposition of the book of 
Revelation. I feel that I owe it to the church to 
urge all preachers and students of the Word to se- 
cure this set of lectures. The extract is rather 
long to borrow, but its clearness and the impor- 
tance of the subject constitute my apology: 

Humanity was created and constituted a self- 
multiplying order of existence — a race — to which 
this earth was given as its theatre, possession, and 
happy home. God created man in His own image; 
male and female created He them, and said to 
them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the 
earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over it- 
When sin first touched man, it found him thus con- 
stituted and domiciled. Had the spoliations of sin 
never disturbed him, humanity, as a race, must 
needs have run on forever, and been the happy 
possessor of the earth forever. Anything else 
would be a contravention and nullification of the 
beneficent Creator's intent and constitution with re- 
gard to His creature, man. Meanwhile came the 
fall, through the Serpent's malignity; and then a 
promise of redemption by the Seed of the woman. 
If the nature of the fall was to destroy the exist- 
ence of man as a race, and to dispossess him of his 
habitation and mastery of the earth, the nature and 
effect of the redemption must necessarily involve 



The Renewed Earth. 183 

the restitution and perpetuation of the race, as 
such, and its rehabilitation as the happy possessor 
of the earth; for if the redemption does not go as 
far as the consequences of sin, it is a misnomer and 
fails to be redemption. The salvation of any num- 
ber of individuals, if the race is stopped and disin- 
herited, is not the redemption of what fell, but only 
the gathering up of a few splinters, whilst the pri- 
mordial jewel is shattered and destroyed, and 
Satan's mischief goes further than Christ's restora- 
tion. 

I therefore hold it to be a necessary and integral 
part of the Scriptural doctrine of human redemp- 
tion, that our race, as a self-multiplying order of 
beings, will never cease either to exist or to pos- 
sess the earth. 

There is a notion, bred from the morbid imagina- 
tion of the Middle Ages, which has given birth to 
many a wild poetic dream, which has much influ- 
enced the translators of our English Bible, which 
has unduly tainted religious oratory, song, and even 
sober theology, and which still lingers in the pop- 
ular mind as if it were an article of the settled 
Christian creed, that the time is coming when 
every thing that is, except spiritual natures, shall 
utterly cease to be, the earth consume and disap- 
pear, the whole solar and sidereal system collapse, 
and the entire physical universe vanish into noth- 
ingness. How this can be, how it is to be harmon- 
ized with the promises and revealed purposes of 
God, wherein it exalts the perfections of the Deity, 
there is not the least effort to show. The thing is 
magniloquently asserted, and that is quite enough 



18-4 The Blessed Hope. 

for some people's faith, though sense, reason, and 
Revelation be alike outraged 

In those passages which speak of the passing 
away of the earth and heavens (see Matt. 5:18; 
24:34,35; Mark 13:30,31; Luke 16:17; 21:33; 2 Pet. 
3:10; Rev. 21:1), the original word is never one 
which signifies termination of existence, but parer- 
chomai, which is a verb of very wide and general 
meaning, such as to go or come to a person, place or 
point; to pass, as a man through a bath, or a ship 
through the sea; to pass from one place or condi- 
tion to another, to arrive at, to go through; to go 
into, to come forward as if to speak or serve. As 
to time, it means going into the past, as events or a 
state of things once present giving place to other 
events and another state of things. That it implies 
great changes when applied to the earth and heav- 
ens is very evident; but that it ever means anni- 
hilation, or the passing of things out of being, there 
is no clear instance either in the Scriptures or in 
Classic Greek to prove. The main idea is transi- 
tion, not extinction. 

Some texts, particularly as they appear in our 
English Bible, express this change very strongly, 
as where the earth and heavens are spoken of as 
perishing, being, dissolved, flying aivay (Is. 34:4; 
54:10; Rev. 6:14; 20:11); but the connections show 
that the meaning is not cessation of being, but sim- 
ply the termination or dissolution of the present 
condition of them to give place to a new and better 
condition. At least one such perishing of the earth 
has already occurred. Peter, speaking of the 
earth and heavens of Noah's time, says: "The world 



The Reneived Earth. 185 

that then ivas being overflowed ivith water, perished" 
{2 Pet. 3:5,6). But what was it that perished? Not 
the earth as a planet, certainly; but simply the 
mass of the people, and the condition of things 
which then existed, whilst the earth and race con- 
tinued and have continued till now. Equally strong 
expressions are used with regard to the destruction 
or passing away of the old in the case of one born 
again to newness of life in Christ Jesus; but no 
one, therefore, supposes that the bringing of a man 
from Satan to God is the annihilation of him. It is 
simply the change of his condition and relations. 
And so in the case of the earth and heavens; for 
the same word which describes the change in the 
individual man is used to describe the change to be 
wrought in the material world. It is regeneration — 
palingenesia — in both instances (Matt. 19:28; Tit. 
3:5), and therefore not the putting out of existence 
in either case. The dissolving of which Peter is 
made to speak is really a deliverance rather than a 
destruction. The word he uses is the same which 
the Saviour employs where he says of the colt, 
' 'Loose him;" and of Lazarus when he came forth 
with his death wrappings, ' 'Loose him, and let him 
go;" and of the four angels bound at the Euphrates, 
"Loose them;" and of the Devil, "He must be 
loosed a little season." It is the same word which 
John the Baptist used when he spoke of his un- 
worthiness to unloose the Saviour's shoestrings, and 
which Paul used when he spoke of being "loosed 
from a wife." It is simply absurd to attempt to 
build a doctrine of annihilation on a word which 
admits of such applications. The teaching of the 



186 The Blessed Hope. 

Scriptures is, that the creation is at present in a 
state of captivity, tied down, bound, "not willingly, 
but by reason of him who hath subjected the same 
in hope;'' and the dissolving of all these things of 
which Peter speaks is not the destruction of them, 
but the breaking of their bonds, the loosing of them, 
the setting of them free again to become what they 
were originally meant to be, their deliverance 
(Compare Rom. 8:19-23). And as to the flying or 
passing aivay, of which John speaks, a total disap- 
pearance of all the material worlds from the uni- 
verse is not at all the idea; for he tells us that he 
afterwards saw "the sea" giving up its dead, the 
New Jerusalem coming down "out of the heaven," 
the Tabernacle of God established among men, and 
* 'nations" still living and being healed by the leaves 
of the Tree of Life. 

Great changes in the whole physical condition of 
the earth and its surrounding heaven are every- 
where indicated; but the idea of the extinction of 
the material universe amid "the wreck of matter 
and the crush of worlds" is nothing but a vulgar 
conceit, without a particle of foundation in nature, 
reason or Scripture. Things have no more ten- 
dency to annihilation than nothing has a tendency 
to creation. There is no evidence that a single 
atom of matter has ever been annihilated, whence 
analogy would infer that such a thing is not at all 
in the will or purpose of God. On the contrary, 
the teaching of Revelation is, that "one genera- 
tion passeth away, and another generation cometh, 
but the earth dbideth forever" (Ecc. 1:4; Psa. 
119:90) 



The Renewed Earth, 187 

It is specifically promised that "the meek shall 
inherit the earth," and that the righteous "shall 
dwell in it forever" (Matt, 5:5; Psa. 37:9,11,29; Isa. 
60:21; Rom. 4:13). If the righteous are to inhabit 
it forever, it must exist forever. The kingdom of 
which Daniel prophesied is to be an everlasting 
kingdom, which shall stand forever. That king- 
dom is located "under the whole heaven," and takes 
in among its subjects "peoples, nations and lan- 
guages," and has its seat upon the earth (Dan. 
2:44; 7:14,27). But if the earth is to have an inde- 
structible kingdom, it must itself be indestructible. 
John describes the sovereignty of this world as 
finally assumed by the Lord, even Christ, who is 
to hold and exercise it to the ages of the ages (Rev. 
11:15). But how can Christ reign over a world 
which is presently to cease to be? God has specifi- 
cally and repeatedly covenanted and promised a 
certain portion of the earth to a certain people for 
"an everlasting possession" (Gen. 48), in which they 
are to "dwell, even they, and their children, and 
their children's children forever" (Ezek. 37:25), and 
not cease from being a nation before him forever 
(Jer. 31:36). How can this be fulfilled if the earth 
is to be annihilated? ("Lectures on the Apocalypse," 
Vol. III., 367-375). 

The same author quotes J. Pye Smith as follows: 
"I cannot but feel astonished that any serious and 
intelligent man should have his mind fettered with 
the common — I might call it the vulgar — notion of a 
proper destruction of the earth. I confess myself 
unable to find any evidence for it in nature, reason 
or Scripture" ("Geology and Revelation," p. 161). 



188 The Blessed Hope. 



Some Uninspired Witnesses. 



CHAPTER XV. 

We rely upon the Word of God alone, and we 
consider it only authoritative, yet we believe it 
well to sustain our points by witnesses, living and 
dead, who have proven themselves worthy of the 
highest confidence. The pre-millennial coming of 
Christ is not a new doctrine. It has been advo- 
cated by many of the brightest minds during the 
centuries? If we should look about us at present, 
we would find the advocates of this view to be 
among the most thorough -going and aggressive 
Christian workers of the world. We would name 
such men as D. L. Moody, who has led his thousands 
to Christ, and shaken Europe and America. A. B. 
Simpson, who has sent out more than four hun- 
dred persons, who have engaged in active mis- 
sionary and evangelistic work.* C. H. Spurgeon, 
the greatest preacher of the last century, was 
definite in his advocacy of this doctrine. A. J. 
Gordon, whose church in Boston (Claredon St.) 
under his apostolic leadership, showed much zeal, 
and made great missionary effort. His writings 
have stirred the hearts of thinkers in all the na- 
tions. He was an earnest representative of the 

*His "Gospel of the Kingdom'' is a very helpful book on 
the subject. 



Some Uninspired Witnesses. 189 

view for which we plead. The Salvation Army, 
undoubtedly one of the greatest religious move- 
ments since the days of the apostles, is fired and 
enthused for constant self-sacrifice and devotion to 
God and humanity by the thought of the nearness 
of the Master's coming. J. Hudson Taylor, founder 
of the China Inland Mission, which has sent out 
over six hundred missionaries, is a faithful preacher 
of the blessed hope, H. Grattan Guinness, of Lon- 
don, whose voluminous writings are rich, cogent, 
and unanswerable, who also has a missionary train- 
ing institute, from which hundreds of missionaries 
are sent out on lines of faith and self-support, 
vigorously espouses this doctrine. Major Whittle, 
Rev. L. W. Munhall, and other evangelists of 
national reputation — men who are making things 
happen along revival and missionary lines — are 
proclaiming it diligently. The fact is, there is no 
great missionary activity, that is, no special, world- 
affecting religious movement launched and sup- 
ported by post-millennialists. Such men as Arthur 
T. Pierson, whose missionary writings have 
aroused many slumbering hearts, the venerable 
Jno. G. Paton, who has revolutionized the New 
Hebrides, the saintly W. B. Godbey, who has 
swept like a ball of fire over all the South and 
many other parts of our nation, are almost to a 
man committed to the doctrine for which we plead. 
While Wesley, Fletcher, Whitefield, and others of 
their time and fellowship were not voluminous in 
their utterances concerning this doctrine, yet they 
have shown themselves believers in the pre-millen- 
nial appearing of our King. Whitefield, on Math. 



190 The Blessed Hope. 

25:1, says, because "He tarried for a while, to exer- 
cise the faith of the saints and to give sinners space 
to repent, scoffers are able to cry out, 'Where is the 
promise of His coming?', but perhaps to-day, per- 
haps this midnight, the cry may be made. Let 
that cry, 'Behold, the Bridegroom cometh,'be con- 
tinually ringing in your ears, and begin now to live 
as though you were assured this night you were 
to go forth to meet Him." Thomas Coke said, 
"We ought to be in daily and hourly expectation of 
it." But, ah! men will not do this. At the coming 
of Christ, to avenge His elect and deliver His faith- 
ful people, the hope of His coming will in a great 
measure have been lost. Chas. Wesley has sundry 
hymns advocating this truth. We quote one verse 
from many: 

Lo! He comes, with clouds descending", 

Once for favored sinners slain! 
Thousand, thousand saints attending", 

Swell the triumph of His train. 
Hallelujah! 

God appears on earth to reign. 

From John Wesley we quote: "I grant, suppose 
the Lord should delay His coming. It were meet 
and right to wait for His appearing, in doing, so 
far as we have power, whatsoever He hath com- 
manded. But there is no necessity for making 
such a proposition. How knowest thou that He 
will delay? Perhaps He will appear as the day- 
spring from on high, before the morning light. O 
do not set us a time — expect Him every hour. Now 
He is nigh, even at the door." Bishop Latimer 
said, "I believe the Lord may come in my day, old 



Some Uninspired Witnesses. 191 

as I am," and John Knox, "We know that he shall 
return, and that with expedition." From Martin 
Luther we read, "Our Lord Jesus Christ yet 
reigneth, who I shortly trust will come and slay 
with the Spirit of His mouth, and destroy with the 
brightness of His coming the Man of Sin." 
Wyclif "regarded the Redeemer's appearing as the 
object of hope and constant expectation of the 
church of God." Burnett says, "The Millennial 
kingdom of Christ was the general doctrine of the 
Primitive church, from the time of the apostles to 
the Council of Nice." Mosheim admits that an 
opinion prevailed in the early centuries that Christ 
was to come and reign among men, and that this 
opinion had hitherto (up to the middle of the third 
century) met with no opposition, and he declares 
that the apostasy from this faith was headed chiefly 
by Origen, a brainy, but heretical and visionary 
man. Bishop Russell, of Scotland, though a post- 
millennialist, says, "With respect to the Millen- 
nium, it must be acknowledged that the doctrine 
concerning it stretches back into antiquity, so re- 
mote and obscure, that it is impossible to fix its 
origin.'" 

Barnabas, who lived in the very days of the 
apostles, and is supposed to be the one mentioned 
in Acts (11:24) as "a good man," wrote an epistle, 
which is still extant. Though condemned by some 
critics, it is esteemed genuine by Archbishops 
Wake, Usher, and other writers. He looked forward 
to this blessed hope, when Christ should bring about 
the time of the restitution of all things, by His 
personal appearing. Clement, of Rome, was the 



192 TJie Blessed Hope. 

fellow-laborer of Saint Paul, and in his first epistle, 
says, ' 'Let us be followers of those who went about 
in goat skins and sheep skins preaching the coming 
of Christ. Such were the prophets — yet a little 
while, and His will shall be accomplished suddenly, 
the holy scripture itself bearing witness that He 
shall come quickly and not tarry." In his second 
epistle, he said, "Let us every hour expect the 
Kingdom of God, in love and righteousness, be- 
cause we know not the day of His appearing." 
Ignatius lived immediately after the days of the 
apostles, if he was not in fact acquainted with some 
of them. He says, "The last times are come upon 
us. Let us be therefore very reverent, and feel 
the long-suffering of God, that it be not to us 
condemnation." To Polycarp he wrote, "Be every 
day better than another. Consider the times, and 
expect Him who is above all times." He hoped to 
have a part in the first resurrection. Polycarp 
taught that "God raised up our Lord Jesus Christ 
from the dead, and that He will come to judge the 
world, and raise the saints, and that if we walk 
worthy of Him, we shall reign with Him." Papias 
was supposed to be a co-laborer of Polycarp, and 
perhaps acquainted with Saint John. Claiming to 
reproduce the teaching of the elders who had seen 
John, and giving these words as the exact tradition, 
he said : * 'The disciples of Our Lord taught concern- 
ing those times (the Millennial) that in those days 
the vine shall bring forth abundantly .... and all ani- 
mals shall be peaceful and harmonious one to the 
other, being perfectly obedient to man; but these 
things are creditable to those who have faith." He 



SOME FAITHFUL, EARNEST ADVOCATES OF tHE 
BLESSED HOPE. 








H. C. MORRISON. JOHN A. SEISS. 

J. B. CULPEPPER. ARTHUR T. PIERSON. 

W. B. GODBEY. 



Some Uninspired Witnesses. 193 

spoke of the good time when the wolf and the lamb 
shall dwell together, and regards it as an utterance 
of our Lord, while those who read the Word know 
that it was also spoken by Isaiah. Among other 
things, he says that "There will be a certain thou- 
sand years after the resurrection of the (holy) 
dead, when the Kingdom of Christ will be estab- 
lished visibly in the earth." Justin Martyr, who 
flourished in the second century, and was quite a 
noted disciple, looked for no millennium during 
this dispensation. He speaks of those as destitute 
of good reason who do not understand that which 
is clear from all the scriptures, that two comings 
of Christ were announced, maintaining that the 
Millennium would be beyond the resurrection (of 
the saints), and for the restitution of all things. 
Irenaeus believed that the seventh thousand years 
of the world would be the millennium, that as Christ 
was six days making all things, and rested the 
seventh, so the world will have its six thousand 
years of labor, and toil, and strife, through sin, and 
the seventh, it will have a rest by the coming of 
Christ. We quote from him, "It is manifest that 
the perfecting of these things is in the sixth thou- 
sand year, when Antichrist, having reigned 1260 
years, the Lord shall come from heaven in the 
clouds, with the glory of His Father, casting him 
(Antichrist) and them that obey him into a lake of 
fire; but bringing to the just the time of the king- 
dom, that is, the rest, or Sabbath, the seventh day 
sanctified, and fulfilling to Abraham the promise of 
inheritance." Dodwell, in his "Dissertations," 
writes (section 20), "The Primitive Christians be- 

13 



194 The Blessed Hope. 

lieved that the first resurrection, that of their 
bodies, would take place in the kingdom of the 
Millennium; and as they considered that resurrec- 
tion to be peculiar to the just, so they conceived the 
martyrs would enjoy the principal share of its 
glory." Tertullian, in writing of the Apocalypse, 
says, "We confess that a kingdom is promised us 
on earth before that in heaven, but in another state, 
viz., after the resurrection of the just." Methodius, 
bishop of Olympus, flourished between the years 260 
and 312. Whitby, who was a strong post-millennial - 
ist — indeed, the chief supporter of this view since 
the Reformation — admits that Methodius held to a 
pure Millennium, free from everything sensual. Of 
Nepos, an Egyptian bishop of great learning, the 
biographer Caves says, "He was a man skilled in 
the holy scriptures, and also a poet; and that he had 
fallen into the error (as the biographer esteemed it) 
of the Millenarians, and published books, showing 
that the promises made in the scriptures to good 
men, were, according to the sense and opinion of 
the Jews, to be literally understood," and even 
Whitby allows that Nepos taught that after the 
first resurrection the kingdom of Christ was to be 
upon earth for a thousand years, and the saints 
were to reign with Him. Neander, speaking of the 
early church, says, "They were accustomed to con- 
sider that, as the world was created in six days, 
and according to Psa. 90:4, a thousand years in 
God's sight is but as one day, so the world was 
supposed to endure six thousand years in its pres- 
ent condition; and as the Sabbath is the day of 
rest, so this millennial reign was to form the seventh 



Some Uninspired Witnesses. 195 

thousand year period of the world's existence." 

Chillingworth says, speaking of Irenaeus, that 
"The doctrine of Chiliasts was, in his judgment, 
apostolic tradition, as it was also esteemed by all 
the doctors, saints and martyrs of or about his 
time; for all that speak of it, or whose judgments 
on the point are in any way recorded, are for it, 
and Justin Martyr professes that all good and 
orthodox Christians of his time believed it, and 
those who did not he reckons among the heretics. 
Bishop Latimer, who lived in the sixteenth 
century, in his third sermon on the Lord's 
prayer, speaks of a parliament, in which Christ 
shall bear rule, and not man; and which the 
righteous pray for when they say, "Thy kingdom 
come." Because they know that therein reforma- 
tion of all things shall be had; and he adds, "Let 
us with John, the servant of God, cry in our hearts, 
'Come, Lord Jesus, come.' ' 'Bishop Sandys, arch- 
bishop of York in Elizabeth's time, says: "Christ's 
coming is most certain, so the hour, the day, the 
month, the year, is most uncertain." Now, as we 
know not the day and the hour, so let us be pre- 
pared, for it may be near. That it is at hand may 
be probably concluded from all the scriptures. The 
signs mentioned by Christ in the gospel (Luke 21; 
Math. 24) which should be the foreshadows of this 
terrible day are almost all fulfilled. 

Augustus M. Toplady, in the eighteenth century, 
says, "I am one of those old-fashioned people who 
believe in the doctrine of the Millennium, and 
that there will be two distinct resurrections of the 
dead: (1) Of the just, and (2), of the unjust; 



196 The Blessed Hope. 

which last resurrection of the reprobate will not 
commence until a thousand years after the resur- 
rection of the elect. In this glorious interval of a 
thousand years, Christ will reign in person over 
the kingdom of the just, and during this dispensa- 
tion different degrees of glory will obtain, and every 
man shall receive his own reward according to his 
own labor" (Work's, Vol. III., 470). Bishop 
Thomas Newton, eighteenth century, says, "Noth- 
ing is more evident than that this prophecy of the 
Millennium and of the first resurrection (Rev. 20: 
1-6) hath not yet been fulfilled." And he argues, 
If the martyrs rise only in a spiritual sense then 
the rest of the dead rise only in a spiritual sense; 
but if the rest of the dead really rise, the martyrs 
rise in like manner. There is no difference be- 
tween them, and we should be cautious and tender 
of making the first resurrection an allegory, lest 
others should reduce the second into an allegory, 
too. From all of which he decides "That the king- 
dom of heaven shall be established upon the earth 
is the plain express doctrine of Daniel and all 
the prophets, as well as John; and we daily pray 
for the accomplishment of it when we say, 'Thy 
kingdom come.'" William Newcome, archbishop 
of Ireland in the eighteenth century, commenting 
on Rev. 20:4, says, "I understand this not figura- 
tively of a peaceful and flourishing state of the 
church on earth, but literally of a real resurrec- 
tion, and of a real reign with Christ, who will 
display His royal glory in Jerusalem." 

Time would fail us to tell of all the noted and 
worthy advocates of this doctrine. We would 



Some Uninspired Witnesses. 197 

include such names as Elliott, Dean Alford, Tregel- 
les, the Bonars, Richard Newton, Bishop Mcllvaine, 
and numerous others, more or less widely known. 

We will conclude this chapter with one or two ex- 
tracts and the names of a few well known present- 
day advocates of this glorious truth. The noted 
Presbyterian preacher, Rev. Chas. Hodge, in com- 
menting on 1 Cor. 1:7, says, "The object of this 
patient and earnest expectation of believers is the 
coming, i.e., the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
The second advent of Christ so clearly predicted 
by Himself and the apostles, connected as it is 
with the promise of the resurrection of His people, 
and the crowning of Him King, was the object of 
longing expectation with all the early Christians.," 
Speaking of the early days of this dispensation, 
he remarks, "So general was this expectation that 
Christians were characterized as those 'who loved 
His appearing' (2 Tim. 4:8), and 'as those who wait 
for Him'" (Heb. 9:28). Trench, the author of a 
Dissertation on the Parables, speaking of the- ten 
virgins, says, "It was a hint and no more. If more 
had been given, if the Lord had said plainly that 
he would not come for many centuries, then the 
first ages of the church would have been placed in 
a disadvantageous position, being deprived of a 
powerful motive to holiness and diligence supplied 
to each generation of the faithful; but the possi- 
bility of the Lord's return in their time was a 
source of inspiration to godly living. It is a neces- 
sary element, concerning the second coming of Christ, 
that it should be posssible at any time, that no genera- 
tion should consider it improbable in theirs. (My 



198 Ttie Blessed Hope. 

italics. P.) The love, the earnest longing of all 
first Christians, made them to assume that coming 
to be close at hand. " From Albert Barnes, on John 
14:2; 1 Thess. 4:14, we quote, "This was the firm 
belief of the early Christians, and this expectation 
with them was allowed to exert a constant influence 
on their lives and hearts. It led them (1) to desire 
to be prepared for His coming; (2) to consider that 
earthly affairs were of little importance, as the 
scene here was soon to close; (3) to live above the 
world and in the desire of the appearing of the 
Lord Jesus. This was one of the elementary doc- 
trines of their faith, and one of the means of pro- 
ducing deadness to the world among them; and 
among the early Christians there was, perhaps, na 
doctrine that was more the object of firm belief,, 
and the ground of more delightful contemplation, 
than that their ascended Master would return." 

We are indebted for most of the above quotations, 
to Evangelist L. W. Munhall's work, "The Lord 
Returneth," and to "The Second Coming of 
Christ," by Rev. R. C. Shimeall. 

We may be excused for naming a few of the 
watchers among our co-laborers in the Lord's vine- 
ward. We wish not to be invidious, and there are 
many worthy names that might be added, but we 
would name especially the following dear brethren : 
Rev. W. B. Godbey, author of many books, includ- 
ing Commentaries on the New Testament. Humble 
as a babe, meek as a. lamb, conversant with 
Greek and Hebrew, of very wide reading, a 
mighty man of God. Rev. H. C. Morrison, editor 
of the Pentecostal Herald, a fluent speaker, an in- 
teresting writer, a lovable character, brainy, a 



Some Uninspired Witnesses. 199 

leader of men, highly esteemed by those who know 
him, a strong preacher, a devoted advocate of this 
doctrine. Rev. Seth C. Rees, the Quaker evan- 
gelist, whom some prefer to style "the earth- 
quakes" a combination of the logic of Paul, the 
love of John, and the fiery eloquence of Chrysos- 
torn, a vigorous writer, a lover of "His appearing.'" 
Rev. M. W. Knapp, widely-read author, soul-win- 
ning evangelist, successful editor and publisher; 
one of Zion's stalwarts. Small of stature, yet 
strong in faith, keen in intellect, an organizer and 
leader of men. Rev. B. F. Haynes, formerly editor 
of "Zion's Outlook," Nashville; fearless, sweet- 
spirited, uncompromising, yet kind; an exposer of 
shams, but a lover of men; a man of God, strong 
in character, unflinching in the hour of danger, 
never known to forsake the post of duty. Rev. 
J. O. McClurkan, editor of "Zion's Outlook," a 
fragile body, a godly man, an unctious preacher, 
he is accomplishing a great work for his divine and 
coming Lord; loved by those who know him, and 
faithful to every conviction. Rev. Jno. M. Pike, 
successful revivalist, scriptural writer, efficient 
pastor, holy man. Rev. John B. Culpepper, whose 
fame is spread abroad through the South. He 
loves his church, stands by its pastors, and has 
swept a multitude into the fold, more than 40,000 
people having connected themselves with the church 
under his apostolic ministry. A. C. Bane, of Cali- 
fornia, the logical, lawyer-like evangelist, whose 
preaching is mighty, and thoroughly scriptural; 
whose sentences are rugged and effective. He 
delights in this blessed doctrine. If we were to 
attempt to name all the advocates of this truth, to 



200 The Blessed Hope. 

merely catalogue those who preach it from the 
pulpit, and rejoice to name it around the fireside, 
our book would be but a list of godly men and 
women, whose influence is felt for righteousness on 
earth, and whose names are in heaven. 

' 'But, " says one, * 'these looked for Him, and were 
disappointed. Does not this prove your position 
false?" 

By no means: 

1. They were not post-millennialists, else they 
would have looked for the conversion of the world 
and a thousand years of holiness among the na- 
tions before His coming, and that would have 
proven conclusively that He could not come in 
their day. 

2. They did not set a date for the Lord's return, 
but simply insisted from the Scriptures that it 
might occur at any hour, some of them expressing 
a hope that it might be in their lifetime, but not 
dogmatizing on this point. So with the writer. 
Jesus is coming. We do not have to await the 
world's salvation before we see our blessed Re- 
deemer. Like these lights of the church through 
the centuries let us set no dates, but keep our lamps 
trimmed and burning, with oil in our vessels, the 
wedding garment on, and our loins girded, while 
in holy expectancy we press the battle for His 
glory, and await His appearing. Whether we sleep 
or wake, we may then greet Him with joy. O 
thank God for the thrilling hope that even these 
fading eyes shall see Him, and these weary limbs 
and fiery nerves shall rest in the smiles of His 
countenance. Praise Him forever! 



Tlie Jews, Peculiar, Chosen, Scattered. 201 



The Jews, Peculiar, Chosen, Scattered. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

I. Strange, chosen people! Their history is 
anomalous. From the day Abraham was called out 
of Ur of the Chaldees to the present they have 
been a peculiar people, under the especial care of 
Almighty God, who has continually dealt with 
them in grace, or in judgment. He Himself de- 
clares, "O Jacob, Fear not: for I have redeemed 
thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art 
mine: thou art my servant; I have chosen thee" 
(Isa. 41:9; 43:1). Again hear Him, "This people 
have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my 
praise" (Isa. 43:21). He is pleased to style Himself 
"the God of Israel" (Ex. 34:23). And to them He 
says: "Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy 
God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a pecu- 
liar people unto himself, above all the nations that 
are upon the earth" (Deut. 14:2). As a nation, Israel 
is called the kingdom of the Lord (1 Chron. 28:5; 
29:23). Over this kingdom David was placed as 
God's chosen, a man after His own heart. To 
him Jehovah promised, "I will raise up thy seed 
after thee,.. ..and I will establish his kingdom;" 
"I will be his father," and "will settle him in mine 
house and in my kingdom forever: and his throne 
shall be established forevermore" (1 Chron. 17: 
11-14). 



202 Tfie Blessed Hope. 

Now, we know that the kingdom was divided but 
two generations removed from David, and shortly 
afterward was taken from his descendants. It is 
evident, therefore, that there is to be a renewal of 
the kingdom to Israel, and a manifestation of all 
the glory promised in the prophets. Who shall be 
king? The answer is found in the word of God. It 
is none other than Jesus. 

"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the 
Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne 
of his father David: 

"And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; 
and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:32,33). 

In the prophet, Jesus is called, * 'David my serv- 
ant," who shall be prince forever over the house of 
Israel (Ezek. 37:24,25). In the Apocalyptic vision, 
vouchsafed to the lonely prophet on Patmos, Jesus 
proclaimed Himself the "Root and the offspring of 
David" (Rev. 22:16). He is also said to be the Lion 
of the tribe of Juda (Rev. 5:5). And Paul declares: 
"There shall be a root of Jesse," who "shall arise 
to reign over the Gentiles" (Rom. 15:12). From 
this we learn that the king is a descendant of Jesse, 
through the line of David; that He shall reign over 
both the Jews and the Gentiles; and shall occupy 
the throne of David. Now some are fond of giv- 
ing this a spiritual application only. This is not 
allowable; David had only a temporal throne, to 
occupy which Christ must exercise a temporal sov- 
ereignty. He shall possess the kingdom and sit on 
the throne as David once did. Some think he ex- 
ercises this authority now from heaven, that He is 
already on the promised throne; but this cannot be, 



The Jews, Peculiar, Chosen, Scattered, 203 

for David's kingdom was not spiritual, and he had 
no throne in the skies, but one in Palestine, and 
Jesus shall sit upon his throne. Our Saviour is on 
His Father's throne now, not David's. The proph- 
ecies concerning Israel have no more relation to 
the church than the predictions concerning the 
church have to the house of Jacob. Isaac Da 
Costa pungently asks: "Who gives us the right by- 
arbitrary exegesis to refer the promises made to 
Israel to the Christian church, when the judgments 
upon the same evidently cannot have been meant 
for the church?" 

There are many prophecies which appertain ex- 
clusively to the descendants of Jacob, both among 
those which have passed into history and among 
those that await fulfillment. What can be more ab- 
surd than the attempt to explain the prophecies 
which foretell the calamities to befall the Jews in 
a literal sense, and then those which bespeak their 
future felicity, in a mystic or spiritual sense? 

We gather from the Scriptures that the descend- 
ants of Abraham are very dear unto our Heavenly 
Father, and that He is watching over them as truly 
in their desolations and wanderings as ever in their 
palmiest days. 

II. God's judgments are to be fulfilled upon 
them, and His promises are also to be realized by 
them. Let us not steal their blessings unless we 
are willing to bear their curses. 

"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is 
there of circumcision? 

"Much every way: chiefly because that unto them were 
committed the oracles of God" (Rom. 3:1,2). 



204 TJie Blessed Hope. 

Paul recognizes that the Jews have a peculiar 
position, and one of special "advantage." Else- 
where he speaks of them as his kinsmen "accord- 
ing to the flesh," and says that to them pertain 
"The adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving 
of the law, the service of God, and the promises." 
He further calls attention to the fact, that of the 
Jews Christ came (Rom. 9:3-5). He then asks, 
"Hath God cast away his people," and answers with 
an emphatic, "God forbid." They are indeed un- 
der a judicial "blindness." The veil is upon their 
faces when Moses is read. But this veil shall be 
removed (2 Cor. 3:14-16). When the veil is taken 
away and the blindness ceases, they shall know the 
Ijord, and shall turn to Him, for "salvation is of 
the Jews" (John 4:22). God has pledged Himself 
to "A new covenant with the house of Israel, and 
with the house of Judah/' and declares they "shall 
know me even from the least to the greatest" (Jer. 
51:31-34; Heb. 8:8-11). Who shall thus know Him 
from the least to the greatest? The house of Israel 
and the house of Judah. 

The promise of God shall stand, His covenant 
shall be kept, His word shall abide. Robert Came- 
ron reproves the spiritualizing mode of modern in- 
terpreters. He says: "They will take the truth 
given to the Jews, and applicable to them alone, 
and divert it to the church, changing the very ob- 
ject of prophecy .... They will take the blessedness 
belonging to Jerusalem in the age to come, and so 
pervert it to the present age as to flatter and de- 
ceive the nations which are to soon be cut off by 
the terrible judgments of God. Indeed the Chris- 



The Jews, Peculiar, Chosen, Scattered. 205 

tians inside of the church have plundered the Jews 
of their spiritual things with as much cruelty and 
as little conscience as the professed Christians in 
the nations have plundered them of their earthly- 
things, and the destructive misapplication, and 
cruel confusion of the truth of God, is due to the 
prevailing ignorance respecting dispensational ar- 
rangements more than to any other cause (The 
Doctrine of the Ages, page 128). 

III. A recent writer has asserted that God has no 
further use for the Jews, or respect for them; that 
they will never be restored to Palestine, or come 
under the divine favor, except as they yield to the 
Gospel, and are converted one by one. If this be 
true, why have they been preserved as a distinct 
people, through all the ages and among all the na- 
tions? David truly declared that "he hath not so 
dealt with any nation/' 

THEY ARE A PECULIAR PEOPLE. 

E. F. Stroeter says: "Here he is, the imperisha- 
ble, ubiquitous, irrepressible Jew, the most con- 
spicuous and emphatic figure of all history. The 
Jew, without a king or a government of his own, 
has seen the mightiest empires rise and has attend- 
ed their funeral. An exile from his own land, he 
has witnessed every civilized country of the Old 
World change ownership over and over. No nation 
has ever prospered in his land — the land that flowed 
with milk and honey while he dwelt there; he has 
prospered in every land, under every clime. He 
receives no hearty welcome, no legislative favors, 
no social advantages anywhere, hardly justice; but 



206 The Blessed Hope. 

in the race for wealth, for success and for honors 
in art and science and literature, he leads every- 
where. He has been branded with infamy, loaded 
with unutterable contempt; behold him, the cring- 
ing, crouching, unresisting object of pity. But a 
few brief hours of genial sunshine, a few decades of 
emancipation and equal rights, and behold the un- 
bearably proud, and loud and obnoxious modern Jew ! 
.... Talk of the Egyptian sphinxes and of Gordian 
knots — the greatest riddle, the one unsolvable mys- 
tery of all the ages, is the Jew. His very existence 
and preservation is an unanswerable challenge to 
the human mind for a rational explanation" (Ad- 
dresses on the Second Coming of the Lord, pages 
138-9). Again the same writer says: "That nation 
was born, delivered, guided, ordered, smitten and 
kept of the Lord, in order to be God's age-lasting 
object lesson in grace and in judgment, for all time 
to come" (Ibid, page 141). 

Not only have men pronounced them a peculiar 
people, but so has the Almighty: "Ye shall be a 
peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all 
the earth is mine" (Ex. 19:5,6). 

IV. Driven out and exiled from their own land, 
these chosen people are to-day wanderers upon the 
face of the whole earth. They have no land to call 
their own outside of Palestine, and that is in the 
hands of their oppressors. Their sins have been 
visited upon them; their punishments are grievous 
and protracted. They have perished with pesti- 
lences, they have fallen by the sword, have been 
consumed by famine, and have been scattered into 
all the winds. They are a waste and a reproach 



The Jews, Peculiar, Chosen, Scattered. 207 

among all peoples; they are a taunt and an aston- 
ishment unto all the nations (Ezek. 5:12-15). "Who 
gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? 
did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned. 
Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his 
anger' (Isa. 42:24,25). 

That was a plaintive lament when Jesus, looking 
down upon the city, cried, "O Jerusalem, Jerusa- 
lem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest 
them which are sent unto thee, how often would I 
have gathered thy children together, even as a hen 
gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye 
would not! Behold, your house is left unto you 
desolate, for I say unto you, Ye shall not see me 
henceforth till ye shall say, Blessed is he that 
cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matt. 23:37-9). 
He told His disciples that Jerusalem should "be 
trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the 
Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). 

Concerning the same period, Gabriel informed 
Daniel regarding the "overspreading of abomina- 
tions/' and declared, "He shall make desolate even 
until the consummation, and that determined (the 
judgment day or the outpouring of the wrath 
which God hath determined) shall be poured upon 
the desolate" (Dan. 9:27). 

This is the time of desolation and suffering, of 
condemnation and wrath which we are informed 
that Israel is under. It is a period of ' 'blindness 
in part," but when the fullness of the Gentiles be 
come in, the blindness shall cease, for it has a well- 
defined limit. 

We are in the Gentile period, the church dispen- 



208 The Blessed Hope. 

sation, the time of the Gentile's election through 
grace. When this period shall terminate, the Lord 
will come and "will turn away ungodliness from 
Jacob/' He will "take away their sins," "and so all 
Israel shall be saved" (Rom. 11:26). This cannot 
mean that every descendant of Jacob shall be 
eternally saved, because we would find among these 
a Judas, betraying his Lord, and many murderers, 
thieves and ungodly men. But at the coming of 
Christ the Jews as a people will accept Him, turn 
away from their ungodliness and become a holy 
people, a peculiar treasure of the Lord. 

In the visions of John, the angel with the reed 
for a measuring rod took the dimensions of the 
temple and the altar, but the worshipers and the 
outer court he was not to measure, because it was 
given unto the Gentiles, and "the holy city they 
shall tread under foot forty and two months" (Rev. 
11:1,2). The point we want the reader to specially 
bear in mind is, that all these Scriptures reveal a 
limitation to the banishment of the Jew. The city 
is trodden under foot forty -two months; that is, as 
proven historically, twelve hundred and sixty 
years, a day for a year. But even if this mode of 
interpretation be rejected, the limit stands. The 
oppressions of Jerusalem have their boundaries. 
They shall cease. It is to remain desolate until 
they shall say, "Blessed is he that cometh in the 
name of the Lord. " This wretchedness continues 
till the fullness of the Gentiles be come in, and no 
longer. Their blindness is but "in part," and shall 
cease when the treading down of the city is at an 
end, and all this comes in the period marked out as 



The Jews, Peculiar, Chosen, Scattered. 209 

the times of the Gentiles. These New Testament 
declarations but confirm the statements of their 
own prophets concerning the crown and the king- 
dom, as the Lord spoke through Ezekiel (21 :27) of 
the diadem being removed and the kingdom over- 
turned. 

The government is overthrown, the power of the 
crown wrested from it, the scepter departs, and 
this decrowned condition, this destroyed nation- 
ality, shall continue ' 'until He comes whose right 
it is" to wear the diadem. This overthrown condi- 
tion manifestly represents the present state of 
Israel, but the crown is for the brow of the Mes- 
siah. The same declaration was plainly and em- 
phatically given by Hosea. 

'Tor the children of Israel shall abide many days without 
a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and 
without an image, and without an ephod, and without tera- 
phim: 

''Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek 
the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the 
Lord and his goodness in the latter days" (Hosea 3:4,5). 

The many days in which Israel shall abide with- 
out a king are not yet terminated, but the end 
draweth nigh. They-shall be restored; Palestine 
shall again flow with milk and honey, the King of 
all kings shall reside in Jerusalem, and the scepter 
of universal empire shall be His. But we reserve 
the further discussion of this subject for the next 
chapter. 



210 The Blessed Hope. 



The Jews to Be Restored. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

We have seen the Jews as the victims of the 
divine judgments, scattered, pealed and driven 
through the nations; but their sorrows shall end. 
Their sufferings shall terminate, their weepings 
over the desolations of Zion shall cease. God will 
remember His people. Though long under His 
displeasure, they shall again know His favor. 
' 'Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh 
in the morning. " The day of Israel's long deferred 
hope shall yet dawn. Already the grey streaks are 
seen above the Eastern horizon, and the sunlight 
shall soon gild with radiant glory the mountain tops 
of hope. The Sun of righteousness shall soon 
arise, and blessed be God, he shall appear with 
' 'healing in his wings." Symbolizing interpreters, 
forever spiritualizing away the promises to Israel, 
are in the habit of applying all of Jacob's promises 
to the church. But this method of interpretation 
would eviscerate the prophets and nullify a large 
portion of God's word. 

We trust the reader will weigh with conscientious 
care the following Scriptures, which we select from 
many, and see if they have not specific application 
to the Jews as a people. 

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall 
set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant 



The Jews to Be Restored. 211 

of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from 
Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, 
and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of 
the sea. 

'•And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall 
assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the 
dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" 
(Tsa. 11:11,12). 

Who are the outcasts of Israel, the dispersed of 
Judah, the remnant of his people? This cannot, 
by any honest method of interpretation, be made 
to apply to any other than the descendants of 
Israel according to the flesh. The church is not 
among the dispersed of Judah, nor is it a remnant 
that has been scattered among the nations. The 
wording is such that it cannot possibly have other 
application than to the people of Isaac, Jacob, 
David and the prophets. In Jeremiah the Lord 
declares: ' 'I will gather the remnant of my flock 
out of all countries whither I have driven them." 
"They shall enter their folds, and increase, they 
shall be fed by his shepherds, and shall no more 
fear or be made desolate." 

"Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise 
unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and 
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 

u In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell 
safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, the 
Lord our righteousness" (Jer. 23:5,6). 

The prophet also declares that they shall date 
their deliverance from the north country, and from 
all countries whither they had been driven, as in 
the olden days they spoke of their deliverance from 
Egyptian bondage. The Deliverer here promised 
is a descendant of David, and as a king He shall 



212 The Blessed Hope. 

reign prosperously in the days of His manifesta- 
tion. "Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell 
safely." Who is this Saviour of Judah and Israel, 
this King of power and glory? The answer is at 
hand. Jehovah Tsidkenu— THE LORD OUR 
RIGHTEOUSNESS. Every child of God recog- 
nizes the King by this blessed name. 

Isaiah truly says, "The Lord will have mercy on 
Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in 
their own land" (Isa. 14:1). Again the same 
prophet, delivering a message from the Most High, 
thus encourages Jacob. "Pear not, for I have re- 
deemed thee," "I am with thee, I will bring thy 
seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; 
I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, 
Keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my 
daughters from the ends of the earth" (Isa. 43:1, 
5,6). 

We remember Paul's remark concerning "blind- 
ness in part" happening unto Israel for a time (Rom. 
11:25). Isaiah cries out, "Bring forth the blind 
people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears" 
(Isa. 43 :8). The thoughtful reader will easily recog- 
nize the blind and deaf of 'this prophecy. Zecha- 
riah is yet more explicit; hear him: "Jerusalem 
shall be inhabited," "the Lord will be unto her a 
wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in 
the midst of her." "Sing and rejoice, O daughter 
of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the 
midst of thee, saith the Lord." "The Lord shall 
inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and he 
shall choose Jerusalem again" (Zech. 2:4-12). The 
same prophet declares: 



The Jews to Be Restored. 213 

"Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will 
dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be 
called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of 
hosts, The holy mountain'' (Zech. 8:3). 

Continuing, he says, "I will save my people from 

the east country, and they shall dwell in the midst 

of Jerusalem: they shall be my people, and I will 

be their God." "O house of Judah and house of 

Israel, I will save you, and ye shall be a blessing'' 

(Zech. 8:7,8,13). In these days the people of the 

nations will gather around the Jews, and will say 

to them, "We have heard that God is with you,' 1 

"Yea, many people and strong nations shall come 

to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to pray 

before the Lord" (Zech. 8:22,23). He says, "I will 

strengthen the house of Judah, and will save the 

house of Joseph, I will bring them again to 

place them." "They of Ephraim shall be like a 

mighty man." "Their heart shall rejoice in the 

Lord." "I will strengthen them in the Lord, and 

they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the 

Lord" (Zech. 10:6,7,12). "The Lord shall save the 

tents of Judah." He shall "defend the inhabitants 

of Jerusalem. And he that is feeble among them at 

that day shall be as David" (Zech. 12:7,8). When is 

all this to be done ? The promise is definite. Is there 

a time when we may expect it to be accomplished? 

It is the time when God shall ' 'pour upon the house 

of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 

the spirit of grace and supplication: and they shall 

look upon me whom they have pierced, and they 

shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his 

only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one 

that is in bitterness for his first born" (Zech. 12:10). 



214 The Blessed Hope. 

This prophecy is unfulfilled. The Spirit of grace 
and supplication has not yet been poured upon the 
house of David; nor have they yet mourned for the 
pierced One. But faith looks forward. How much 
this reminds us of Paul's conversion. When saved, 
he became the apostle of the Gentiles in the church 
period. So when all Israel accepts the Messiah, 
they will evangelize the nations in the Kingdom, 
and "the residue of men will seek the Lord" (Acts 
15:17). The promise shall be fulfilled, and "all 
Israel shall be saved." The olden prophet saw the 
redemption of his people through the pierced side, 
and the nail-rent hands of the Messiah. He de- 
clared: 

''In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house 
of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for 
uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1). 

In this same vision he saw the feet of Messiah 
upon the Mount of Olives, accompanied by ' 'all the 
saints," and immediately declared, "The Lord shall 
be king over all the earth," and "Jerusalem shall 
be safely inhabited" (Zech. 14:4,5,9,11). Is this, 
true? If so, He will not be King over all the earth 
till He comes and brings His saints. 

What shall be the state of Israel in that day? 
Our question is answered by the motto upon the 
bells of the horses: HOLINESS UNTO THE 
LORD (Zech. 14:20). But Zechariahwas not alone 
in his views of the future glory of his as yet down- 
trodden people. To Ezekiel was granted a very 
graphic vision of the restoration To him the Lord 
said, "I scattered them among the heathen, and they 
were dispersed through the countries." But God 



The Jews to Be Restored. 215 

declares to them: "I will take you from among the 
heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and 
bring you into your own land." "A new heart 
also will I give you;" "I will put my Spirit within 
you;" "I will save you from all your uncleannesses," 
"ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your 
fathers, ye shall be my people and I will be your 
God." 

But this will be a time of repentance on their 
part. "Ye shall loathe yourselves in your own 
sight for your iniquities." Ye shall be "ashamed 
and confounded for your own ways, O house of 
Israel." Then it is that He promises that "the 
desoiate land shall be tilled," "when I shall have 
cleansed you from your iniquities. " His promise is r 
The "ruined cities shall be fenced" and the "waste 
cities shall be filled with flocks of men." "I will 
multiply men upon you and the cities shall be in- 
habited." The happy result of all this is, "The 
heathen shall know that I the Lord build the ruined 
places, and plant that that was desolate. " These ex- 
tracts are taken from the thirty-sixth chapter of 
Ezekiel. In his next chapter our prophet has a 
vision of the valley of dry bones. The question is 
raised, Can they live? He scarcely knows. The 
matter puzzles him, and he refers it back to his 
Lord. Being instructed to prophesy, he does so, 
and declares: 

;, So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophe- 
sied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones 
came together, bone to his bone. 

"And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up 
upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was 
no breath in them" (Ezek. 37:7,8). 



216 The Blessed Hope. 

Again he was commanded to prophesy. "And 
the breath came into them and they lived" (verses 
9,10). The information is given him, ' 'These bones 
are the whole house of Israel" (verse 11). The 
Lord then takes up the plaintive cry of His people. 
"Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost," never- 
theless there rings out the shout of victory. 
"Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, 
and cause you to come up out of your graves, and 
bring you into the land of Israel;" "I will put my 
Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place 
you in your own land" (verses 12-14). 

The prophet is then instructed to gather two 
sticks and join them into one. These are explained 
to mean the two houses of Israel, which have been 
divided into two kingdoms since the days of Reho- 
boam. The Lord says He will "take the children 
of Israel from among the heathen;" "and will make 
them one nation in the land upon the mountains of 
Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and 
they shall be no more two nations, neither shall 
they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all." 
He declares, "I will save them" and "will cleanse 
them," and "David my servant shall be king over 
them," and "they shall dwell in the land that I have 
given unto Jacob," and "they shall dwell therein, 
they, and their children, and their children's chil- 
dren forever; and my servant David shall be their 
prince forever." "I will make a covenant of peace 
with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant." "I 
will multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in 
the midst of them forevermore." "I will be their 
God and they shall be my people." What shall be 
the result of all this? Listen: 



The Jews to Be Restored. 217 

"And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify 
Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for 
evermore" (Ezek. 37:28). 

The reader will observe that the term "forever," 
or its equivalent, occurs four times in the last four 
verses of this remarkable chapter: (1) They shall 
dwell in the land forever. (2) David shall be their 
prince forever. (3) The sanctuary is in their midst 
forever. (4) The covenant is an everlasting cove- 
nant. 



218 The Blessed Hope. 



The Jews to Be Converted. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

These strange people have had great advantages,, 
and having abused them, have suffered the conse- 
quences in severe afflictions. It is always thus. 
Abused privileges turn to judgments. When God 
bestows blessings He holds the recipient to a 
strict account. Opportunity brings obligation, as 
in the parable of the talents. Having slighted the 
claims of Christ, the Jews are enduring the result- 
ant evils to this day, nor have their troubles reached 
an end. They are to suffer severely yet. The 
great tribulation will begin at Jerusalem. The 
armies of the nations shall be gathered together 
against their devoted city. After its punishment, 
the nations shall be mown down by the judgments 
of God (Zech. 14:1-3). Then comes Christ to the 
kingdom (verses 5-9). 

That careful student of the Jews, and helpful ex- 
pounder of the Scriptures, W. E. Blackstone, thinks 
the people will be gathered in large numbers to 
their home-land in an unconverted condition. 
They will organize a government of their own, 
while yet unreconciled to the Christ. After this 
He will come. The outbreakings of the tribulation 
wrath will begin with them, extending, as we have 
already stated, to the nations. They will then ac- 
cept the Messiah and become His instruments of 
ruling and evangelizing the world. 



The Jews to Be Converted. 219 

Other writers differ with Mr. Blackstone, in that 
they believe the Jews will only be restored after 
they shall have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. 
The writer holds chiefly with Mr. Blackstone, and 
yet there is doubtless a measure of truth in the 
other proposition. That a large number of Jews 
are to enter Palestine in an unconverted state, is 
evident from the vision of dry bones (Ezek. 37). In 
this prophetic picture the bones are restored to 
each other, and brought together, so as to produce 
a perfect body; after this the prophet again speaks 
to the bones and the spirit of life — the breath of 
God— enters this restored organism, and it stands 
upon its feet, a thing of life. This reorganized 
body seems to represent national existence and 
governmental organization; but the life which en- 
ters it subsequently can surely be nothing less than 
a restoration to the divine favor; a nation-wide 
conversion. There will doubtless be many Jews 
to accept the Messiah ere His apocalypse, but that 
the gathering and tribulation of Israel precedes 
their conversion as a nation and the restoration of 
their kingdom under the Messiah, seems to be easily 
proven by Scripture. 

It is when Michael stands for "the children of thy 
people," as the angel told Daniel, that "There shall 
be a time of trouble such as never was since there 
was a nation,'' and yet it is then that the promise is 
fulfilled. ' 'At that time thy people shall be delivered 
.... and many of them that sleep in the dust of the 
earth shall awake" (Dan. 12:1,2). (1) The awful 
suffering; (2) then the deliverance, including the 
rising of many from the dead. The prophecy 



220 TJte Blessed Hope. \ 

plainly connects this intense suffering with the first 
resurrection, which is at the coming of Christ, as 
elsewhere shown, and the deliverance immediately 
follows the tribulation. So it is here even as 
we found it in the prophecy of Zechariah (14:1-11). 

It is after that fearful description of the tribula- 
tion, in Isaiah 24th chapter, that the Lord of hosts 
is said to reign ' 'in Zion, and in Jerusalem glori- 
ously." "In that day shall this song be sung in 
the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salva- 
tion will God appoint for walls and bulwarks" (Isa. 
26:1). In this connection the prophet declares, 
"When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhab- 
itants of the world will learn righteousness" (Isa. 
26:9). 

But a few verses later we have the encouraging 
word, "Thy dead men shall live" (Isa. 26:19). 
Thus we see that righteousness is learned through 
the tribulation, at the time when the dead rise, 
which is the time of Christ's advent. 

The prophet Jeremiah also saw these things 
just as they were witnessed by Isaiah, Daniel and 
Ezekiel. 

"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is 
even the time of Jacob's trouble: but he shall be saved out 
of it. 

•'For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of 
hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will 
burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve them- 
selves of him: 

u But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their 
king, whom I will raise up unto them" (Jer. 30:7-9). 

In the same chapter he speaks of the whirlwind 
of the Lord going forth with fury, yet to Israel the 
Lord says, "I will save thee from afar, and thy 



The Jews to Be Converted. 221 

seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob 
shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and 
none shall make him afraid." Again He declares, 
"I will restore health unto them/' "I will bring 
again the captivity of Jacob's tents." And yet 
again, "Out of them shall proceed thanksgiving," 
"Ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." 
"I will cause them to return to the land that I gave 
to their fathers, and they shall possess it" (Jer. 
30:3,10,17-22). 

Even to Moses was the same thing revealed, 
namely, a great tribulation, followed by a marvel- 
ous deliverance, when the blessing should extend 
through Israel to the nations of the earth. God 
declared, "To me belongeth vengeance," "For the 
Lord shall judge his people," "Neither is there any 
that can deliver out of my hand" (Deut. 32:35-39). 

i; If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold 
on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and 
will reward them that hate me. 

,; I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword 
shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and 
of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the 
enemy. 

"Rejoice, Oye nations, with his people: for he will avenge 
the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his 
adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his 
people" (Deut. 32:41-43). 

Ah! the Almighty whetting His sword to render 
vengeance, even to make His arrows drunk with 
blood! And yet this awful visitation is filled with 
exhortations to the Gentiles, ''Rejoice, Oye nations, 
with his people." What is there in this dreadful 
manifestation of judgment to rejoice over? Sure- 
ly nothing. But the glorious deliverance which is 
to follow is the occasion for great joy. 



222 The Blessed Hope. 

This same truth appears in the prophecy of 
Hosea. After reproving His people, the Lord de- 
clares, "I will no more have mercy upon the house 
of Israel," and even goes so far as to say, "For ye 
are not my people and I will not be your God'' 
(Hosea 1:6,9). But He immediately adds, "Say ye 
to your brethren, 'Ammi' (that is, my people); and 
to your sisters, 'Ruhamah'"(thatis, having obtained 
mercy). He declares, "I will betroth thee unto me 
forever," "Thou shalt call me Ishi (that is, my 
husband); and thou shalt call me no more Baali" 
(that is, my Lord). "Yet the number of the chil- 
dren of Israel shall be as the sands of the sea" 
(Hosea 1:10; 2:16,19). To the same prophet he re- 
vealed the fact to which we have already called at- 
tention, that Israel shall ' 'abide many days without 
a king," but shall afterward "return and seek the 
Lord their God and David their king" (Hosea 3:4,5). 
Thus we see that after long wandering and desola- 
tion, which every intelligent reader knows is upon 
them now, they shall surrender their hearts to God 
and render a ready obedience to Jesus the son of 
David as their Messiah and king (Isa. 9:6,7). 

Having charged Israel with self-destruction, He 
elsewhere encourages them with the promise, "I 
will be thy king," and locates this favor in connec- 
tion with the resurrection, declaring, "I will ran- 
som them from the power of the grave," "I will 
redeem them from death," "I will heal their back- 
sliding." "I will be as the dew unto Israel." "His 
branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as 
the olive tree." 

1 'They that dwell under his shadow shall return, 



The Jews to Be Converted. 223 

they shall revive. " All this follows the tribulation, 
which is described "as the sorrows of a travailing 
woman" (Hosea 13:9,10,13,14; 14:4-7). 

In Joel, as in the other prophets, we have these 
same thoughts developed. He bids the land fear 
not, but "be glad and rejoice." And says, "Ye 
shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and 
that I am the Lord your God" (Joel 2:21,27). He 
declares "in those days," "when I shall bring again 
the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem," "I will 
raise them out of the place whither ye have sold 
them" (3:1,7). Concerning the disturbances in the 
material universe, His record is, "The sun and the 
moon shall be darkened," "the Lord also shall roar 
out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem;" 
"the Lord will be the hope of his people." "So 
shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwell- 
ing in Zion, my holy mountain* then shall Jerusalem 
be holy" (3:15-17). 

After this we have the marvelous promise: 

"But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from gen- 
eration to generation. 

'Tor I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: 
for the Lord dwelleth in Zion 1 ' (Joel 3:20,21). 



ISRAEL SAVED. 

We have pointed out some of the tribulations 
which have been pronounced upon the chosen 
people, and some of the prophecies foretelling 
their complete deliverance, restoration and salva- 
tion. We will notice a few others from among the 
many. 



224 TJie Blessed Hope. 

"The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together 
the outcasts of Israel. 

; 'He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their 
wounds" (Psa. 147:2,3). 

He bindeth up their wounds — margin, "griefs." 
Surely here sorrows shall end. 

The Psalmist elsewhere says of the Lord, "He 
hath ]ookeddown from the height of his sanctuary; 
... .to hear the groaning of the prisoner, ... .to 
declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise 
in Jerusalem" (Psa. 102:19-21). 

When is all this to be accomplished? He answers 
it: 

"When the people are gathered together, and the king- 
doms, to serve the Lord" (Psa. 102:22). 

''The people" are the Jews; they shall be "gath- 
ered." "The kingdoms" are the nations; they also 
shall "serve the Lord." It is to be done at the set 
time. Hear the Psalmist again: 

"So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all 
the kings of the earth thy glory. 

"When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his 
glory" (Psa. 102:15,16). 

In the prophecy of Jeremiah, the Lord promises, 
"I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all 
the countries whither I have driven them," "And 
they shall be fruitful and increase; and I will set 
up shepherds over them," "and they shall fear no 
more." For "I will raise unto David a righteous 
Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper" (Jer. 
23:3-5). What is the result of this gathering? 
What shall be accomplished by the divinely or- 
dained Ruler? The inspired answer is, "Judah 



The Jeivs to Be Converted. 225 

shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely" (verse 
6). Who is this King of Israel? "This is His 
name whereby He shall be called," "THE LORD 
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (See Jer. 3:16-18 and 
chapter 31 entire). 

That the judgments of Jacob are to be followed 
by abundant blessings is unmistakably set forth 
through Isaiah. The Almighty speaks as follows: 
"Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, . . . .speak ye 
comfortably to Jerusalem." And why? "For she 
hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her 
sins" (Isa. 40:1,2). 

"Behold, the Lord will come," and blessed will 
be his appearing: then, — 

"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather 
the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and 
shall gently lead those that are with young" (Isa. 40:11). 

Will the Jews ever be saved as a nation? Are 
there prominent, special blessings in store for the 
seed of Abraham after the flesh? I am no authority 
in prophecy, and hence will not venture an answer. 
Let us see if God will give it. 

"But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting- 
salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world 
without end. 

"In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and 
shall glory" (Isa. 45:17,25). 

So said Isaiah. Is he alone? Have no others 
spoken concerning this matter? Let us see: 

"Upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall 
be holiness: and the house of Jacob shall possess their pos- 
sessions" (Obadiah, 17th verse). 

"The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity." 
4 'Be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daugh- 

15 



226 The Blessed Hope. 

ter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy 
judgments," ' 'The King of Israel, even the Lord, is 
in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any 
more" (Zeph. 3:13-15). Who are restored? The 
remnant of Israel. Who shall rejoice? The daugh- 
ter of Jerusalem. Who is the king of Israel? 
The Lord. Where is He? In the midst of Zion. 

;, In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: 
;and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. 

"The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will 
save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his 
love, he will joy over thee with singing-" (Zeph. 3:16.17). 

He shall be satisfied with His people, and shall 
rejoice over them. Surely they shall be satisfied 
with Him, as they abide in His love. In the con- 
clusion of this beautiful prophecy we read, "At 
that time will I bring you, even in the time that I 
gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise 
among all the people of the earth, when I turn 
back your captivity." Who is in captivity? The 
dispersed descendants of Jacob. Who shall be made 
a praise in all the earth ? The people of Israel. For 
Christ shall be their King, and He will reign over 
them, and through them will govern the nations. 
His promise is out; it will be kept. His judgments 
are just, and His banner over them is love . 



The Jews Blessed and Made a Blessing. 227 



The Jews Blessed and Made 
a Blessing*. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Many there are who are so determined to give 
the church all the blessings of the present age, and 
that which is to come, that they spiritualize every- 
thing spoken concerning the Jews, appropriating 
for the church all such words as Israel, the sons of 
Jacob, Judah, Jerusalem and kindred terms. No 
difference what the statement, if it involves bless- 
ing, the divine favor and heavenly help, it is all ap- 
propriated with as little conscience as a Shylock 
demands his pound of flesh. We are opposed to any 
such jugglery with the word of God. If all the 
promises to Israel are to be applied to their own 
use by Christians, by what authority may they 
evade the judgments pronounced upon Israel? If 
every promise made to the sons of Jacob is to be 
unceremoniously applied to the church of the Gen- 
tiles, then by all means must the judgments pro- 
nounced upon Judah, Jerusalem, and Israel be 
passed upon the church. It is a poor rule that will 
not work both ways. 

The Jews are a distinct and chosen people. Of 
the sixty-six books in the Sacred Canon, not one 
was written by a Gentile. Of the twelve Apostles 
and the first Christians, to the number of many 
thousands, all were Israelites — descendants of 



228 The Blessed Hope. 

Jacob. Furthermore, the Jews were to be scat- 
tered, and the same who were driven out are to be 
gathered and restored to the land of Palestine. 
That country belongs to the Jews. And since it 
was given to Jacob's sons by divine authority, no 
other nation or class of people has ever prospered 
there. It has been in desolation for nearly nineteen 
centuries. Though once flowing with milk and 
honey, with every blessing blest, it has long been 
a barren waste. God is reserving it as a possession 
for the descendants of Jacob. 

Some have sought to find the fulfillment of these 
promises fore- showing the restoration of Israel to 
their own land as having found their fulfillment in 
the return of the Jewish people from Babylon. But 
this is entirely inadequate to cover the scope, the 
length, the breadth and fullness of the prophetic 
promises. "They are now found especially in coun- 
tries west of Jerusalem. The dispersion under 
Nebuchadnezzar was only to the east, viz., to Baby- 
lonia. The restoration, including a spiritual return 
to God (Zech. 8:8), here foretold, must, therefore, 
be still future" (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Com. 
on Zech. 8:7). 

We are told that the two kingdoms of Israel and 
Judah shall be made one, and shall be no more di- 
vided into two nations or kingdoms. It is further- 
more emphatically declared that God's sanctuary 
shall be in the midst of them, and His covenant 
with them for evermore (Ez. 37:22.25,28). Again, 
God asserts that He will restore Israel from cap- 
tivity, and build the waste cities, and "plant them 
upon their land." And adds, "They shall no more 



The Jews Blessed and Made a Blessing. 229 

be pulled up out of their land" (Amos 9:14,15). 
This awaits fulfillment. It is as true as the eternal 
God, whose promise it is. It was not spoken con- 
cerning Gentile Christians, or any other class of 
people than those who once inhabited the Holy 
Land, and who were driven out because of trans- 
gression. The restoration under Nehemiah was 
only partial, and the glory of former days was not 
in any wise restored. The Lord promised David, 
"I will raise up thy seed after thee," "and I will 
establish his kingdom." "I will settle him in mine 
house and in my kingdom forever " This was in no 
wise accomplished in any former restoration. 
David confessed unto God, "Thou hast spoken of 
thy servant's house for a great while to come" (1 
Chron. 17:11-17). Evidently to him it was revealed 
that the king in whom this would find fulfillment 
should arise in the far-distant future. We are not 
surprised, therefore, when the angel declared unto 
Mary, concerning the Christ, ' 'The Lord God shall 
give unto him the throne of his father David" (Luke 
1:32). At the time this word was spoken to Mary 
the throne of David was in ruins; the people were 
down-trodden beneath the galling yoke of Caesar. 
But here the angel points out the heir apparent to 
the throne of David. God has not forgotten His 
covenant with the Shepherd-King. But, says one, 
the kingdom of Christ is only spiritual and His 
throne is in heaven. But this is not true, for David 
never did occupy a spiritual throne, nor was he in 
heaven till his kingly term expired with his natural 
life. Christ has a spiritual kingdom, but it is an 
error to say that He shall never have an earthly 



230 The Blessed Hope. 

and visible throne and reign thence over the na- 
tions. To occupy the throne of David is to reign 
as he reigned, over a kingdom composed of men in 
the flesh, to execute authority and administer 
justice among men. As David was king of the Jews, 
so is Jesus. This inscription was set in three lan- 
guages above the crucified Nazarene, in the hour of 
His humiliation. When Pilate asked Christ, ''Art 
thou the King of the Jews?" Jesus said unto him, 
"Thou sayest" (Matt. 27:11,37). This peculiar lan- 
guage, "Thou sayest," is equivalent to a positive, 
Yes. Thus, our Lord Himself claimed to be Israel's 
king, even allowing the title to be placed above His 
head in death. And this is one of the few things 
recorded by all of the evangelists. He also prom- 
ised thrones and j udgment over the twelve tribes to 
His apostles (Matt. 19:28). As Jesus rode into 
Jerusalem, the cry was made, "Behold thy King 
cometh unto thee" (Matt. 21:5). When He was re- 
jected by the Jews, turning sorrowfully away, He 
told them their house was left desolate, and added 
that it would continue so till "Ye shall say, Blessed 
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matt. 
23:39). 

The promises of the restoration of Israel, so 
abundantly set forth by the prophets of the Old, 
are fully confirmed by the writers of the New Tes- 
tament Scriptures. What can be more to the point 
than the language of James: 

"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the 
Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 

"And to this agree the words of the prophets: as it is 
written, 



The Jews Blessed and Made a Blessing. 231 

1 'After this I will return, and will build again the taber- 
nacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again 
the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: 

"That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and 
all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the 
Lord, who doeth all these things" (Acts 15:14-17). 

Thus Simeon and James use almost the exact 
language of one of the prophets (see Amos 9:11-15).. 
Both recognize the condition of the "tabernacle of 
David." It was fallen in the days of the shepherd 
prophet of Tekoa, and when the fisherman of Gal- 
ilee spoke it was still "down." The impulsive 
apostle of Christ recognizes that the time of the 
nations has come; for God had promised to "Visit 
the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his 
name." The progress of the gospel in foreign 
parts, is the subject of the apostolic council: touch- 
ing this specific work the language here spoken 
was delivered. The apostle says that the prophets 
"agree" touching the method of procedure. They 
notify us that God promises to "return and build 
again the tabernacle of David." Are their prophe- 
cies true? Shall the "tabernacle" of the great 
king of Israel ever be rebuilt? Peter informs us it 
will. But first the work among the Gentiles must 
be accomplished, in the taking out of them a Chris- 
tian people. God's method is elective and dispen- 
sational. First, Israel is chosen from the nations. 
Next, He takes individuals, beginning among His 
own, and then reaching out to the Gentiles. When 
He returns the Jews will be restored nationally, and 
then all the world blest thro them(Psa. 67). When 
this (the Gentile election) shall have been finished, 
then the King's "return" is promised. This can- 



232 Tlie Blessed Hope. 

not refer to His first coming, for it would not be a 
"return," a coming back a second time, except He 
had first been here and had gone away. This is the 
day of the Gentiles; the time for gathering together 
of the elect from their midst. 

So we are in the Gentile times. The Jews had 
their day, when the Gentiles were only reached as 
proselytes. At the first coming of Christ and His 
rejection by "His own" (John 1:11,12) He allowed 
His disciples to turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). 
The result is, "blindness" hath happened unto 
Israel. But this shall only continue till the "full- 
ness of the Gentiles be come in." This being the 
"times of the Gentiles," the day of their visitation, 
the Jews can only enter the fold by conversion, ex- 
actly as the Gentiles were in the former dispensa- 
tion received as proselytes. Thus each has his day. 
But when the day of Gentile supremacy in gospel 
privilege shall have passed into history, then it is 
that the ruins of David's tabernacle shall be re- 
paired. And what shall be the result? 

(1) All Israel shall be saved; for the Deliverer 
shall turn ungodliness from Jacob. "The veil 
which has been over their heart" "shall be taken 
away" (2 Cor. 3:13-16). God shall "make a new 
covenant with the house of Israel," "saying, I will 
be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people," 
"and all shall know me even from the least to the 
greatest" (Heb. 8:8-11). 

(2) Not only shall Israel be converted, when the 
Master shall return, but He has a glorious result in 
store for the nations, "That the residue of men 
might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, 



The Jeivs Blessed and Made a Blessing. 233 

upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord." 
Thus we see the nations are to be converted. They 
are unmistakably in this gracious promise. Paul 
puts the matter strongly. Hear him: 

"Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and 
the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how 
much more their fullness? 

"For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the 
world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the 
dead?" (Rom. 11:12,15). 

The riches of the gospel of grace are reaching 
the Gentiles. When they shall obtain their fullness, 
and the times of their special visitation shall have 
terminated, then will Israel again be visited and 
even received again, and this shall be to them and 
the world as "life from the dead." The Lord 
speaks by the mouth of Zechariah, ' 'It shall come 
to pass that as ye were a curse among the heathen, 
O house of Judah and house of Israel; so will I 
save you, and ye shall be a blessing." Thus will 
be fulfilled the promise to Abraham, "In thy 
seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed" 
(Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 26:4). 

Not only is Christ "the seed" of Abraham, a 
blessing to the nations, but the reconciling of the 
Jews is that which Paul considers to be as life 
"from the dead." 

The prophet, opening the future, gives us this 
picture: "Ten men shall take hold out of all 
languages of the nations, even take hold of the skirt 
of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: 
for we have heard that God is with you" (Zech. 
8:23). "In a religious point of view, Jews and Gen- 
tiles stand on an equal footing, as both alike need- 



234 TJie Blessed Hope. 

ing mercy; but as regards God's instrumentalities- 
for bringing about His kingdom on earth, Israel is 
His chosen people" (Jam., Faus. & Brown, Com. on 
Rev. 20:6). 

This strange people are the money-getters and 
the money-lenders of the world. They, though 
having no nation of their own, have determined the 
politics of many nations. D'Israeli, Ex- Premier 
of England, was a Jew. Joseph, who ruled Egypt; 
Daniel, Prime Minister of the Babylonian and 
Medo-Persian empires; Moses, the world's greatest 
law-giver; Josephus, foremost among historians, 
were all Jews. Do not the nations, in their poli- 
cies, consult the will of the Rothschilds, the 
Hirschs and other Jew bankers more than the 
plebeian majorities of Saxon blood? 

In literature, as well as in finance and diplomacy, 
the Jews lead. It is sufficient to name a David, 
an Isaiah, a Josephus, an Alfred Edersheim, an 
Isaac or a Benjamin D'Israeli. These, with others 
that might be named, are at the forefront in their 
respective fields. If you call for financiers, poli- 
ticians, diplomats, theologians, writers, whether in 
theology or fiction, for linguists, for great men in 
all fields, you may readily accept Jews, they rank 
with the foremost. 

When converted and obedient to Christ, their 
King, they will rapidly girdle the globe with the 
knowledge of salvation, and the prayer of David 
will find its answer. 

; 'God be merciful unto us, and bless us: and cause his face 
to shine upon us; Selah. 

; 'That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving- health 
among all nations" (Psa. 67:1,2). 



The Jews Blessed and Made a Blessing. 235 

Well may Jew and Gentile join in fervent prayer 
— Christ for the Jews, their Redeemer and King; 
the Jews for Christ — his devoted followers and 
faithful servants. When this is fulfilled, they will 
join us in the wider prayer, "The world for Christ, 
and Christ for the world. " Then His kingdom will 
come, and his will be done on earth as it is in 
heaven. 



236 The Blessed Hope. 



Prophecy Twofold. 



CHAPTER XX. 

There is one feature connected with prophecy 
the overlooking of which has led many inter- 
preters astray. It is this: Nearly, if not all, pre- 
dictions have a twofold meaning. Of course there 
is a specific terminus or goal to which fulfillments, 
as fingerboards, all point. There is one principal 
fulfillment in which all the minor and preliminary 
ones converge. But before this final one there is 
generally, if not always, a preliminary fulfillment, 
which is but a pledge of the complete accomplish- 
ment of the prediction. Now, many have taken 
the preliminary for the perfect, and have supposed 
the goal of the prophecy to have been reached 
when that which was merely an earnest of its final 
accomplishment had been given. 

Take the great tribulation as an illustration. 
Many have thought it simply referred to the over- 
throw of Jerusalem by the Roman armies, A. D. 70, 
b>ut, as I have elsewhere shown, this is untenable, 
(a) It is to be the greatest tribulation known in all 
history, whereas the destruction of Jerusalem could 
not possibly have equalled the great famines and 
pestilences of the ages, nor the destructive wars, 
nor the flood, of course, (b) It was to be followed 
"immediately" by the personal, manifest, visible 
coming of Christ (Matt. 24:29). (c) Then also we 



Prophecy Tioofold. 237 



are instructed to look for the restoration of the 
Jews, the enthronement of the saints, and the 
establishment of the Kingdom of Christ (Luke 21: 
24-31). If it be objected that the sovereignty was 
only spiritual, we reply, The spiritual kingdom 
was established at Pentecost, A. D. 33. But Jeru- 
salem was not destroyed till thirty- seven years 
afterward. These are only a few of the many 
objections which might be brought against the posi- 
tion that the predicted tribulation was fulfilled in 
the devastation of the doomed city. While that 
was clearly a sample of the great tribulation, it 
cannot safely be considered anything more. It was 
limited to one small nation and principally to one 
small city, but the tribulation is evidently world- 
wide. 

In considering the dual nature of prophecy, we 
discover that the first fulfillment is a foreshadowing 
of that which is final and complete. A proper com- 
prehension of this double nature of prophecy will 
enable us to properly interpret many prophecies 
by which men have often been led into error, and 
over which good people have uselessly wrangled. 
We give some samples. The reader may enlarge 
upon our list. 

I. THE GATHERING OF THE JEWS. 

In Ezekiel and other prophets we have very full 
details as to the restoration of the Jews to the land 
which God gave to their father Abraham. He 
promised to gather them from all countries and to 
bring them into their own land; to save them from 
all their idols; to give them a new heart and a new 



238 The Blessed Hoj)e. 

spirit; to save them from all their uncleannesses; 
to cause them to walk in His statutes, and to put 
His Spirit into them; to combine the house of Judah 
and the ten tribes of Israel into one; to multiply 
them, and to be their God, and He pledges that His 
sanctuary shall be in their midst for evermore. 

Now, it is easily demonstrable that all these 
things were not fulfilled in their return under Nehe- 
miah, which, however, was a sample restoration, 
a pledge of the greater gathering yet to be. (a) 
That was the gathering of only a few; this is to be 
for all. (b) The promise includes the country, 
which is to be restored to its primal fertility and 
loveliness. That was only for the people, and was 
a very partial restoration. The land now has 
nothing of its original beauty, fruit-fulness and 
blessed character. But, according to the promise, 
it is to exceed all its former glory, (c) God is to 
be with them and His sanctuary in their midst ' 'f or- 
evermore." After the restoration by Nehemiah 
the divine blessing was not vouchsafed to them in 
any very particular or continuous manner. They 
were not at any time after that very prosperous. 
They were soon again visited by the judgments of 
God, and driven out among the nations. That was 
indeed a restoration, but it was only as a shadow to 
the substance; hereafter the prophetic outline will 
be complete in all the fullness of the gracious 
promise. As the destruction of Jerusalem was but 
a premonition of the great tribulation, so this an- 
cient restoration of scattered Israel was but a pre- 
libation of the glories which our Father has in 
store for His elect, but longsuffering people. 



Prophecy Twofold. 239 

II. ISRAEL ENSLAVED AND DELIVERED. 

We remember the bondage of Jacob's descend- 
ants in Egypt lasted 215 years. What was this but a 
foreshadowing of the time when they should be 
trampled under foot for twenty centuries by the 
Gentiles? In like manner, their deliverance was 
effected by Moses, representing the Law, and 
Joshua (Hebrew word meaning Jesus, that is, 
Saviour) representing the grace that came by Christ 
(John 1:17). As His servants brought them from 
Egyptian slavery to the land flowing with milk and 
honey, so shall the Messiah bring them up from the 
ends of the earth to their own land, made fruitful 
and exceedingly glorious by His own gracious 
presence. (See Jeremiah 23:3-8). 

III. THEIR GLORY. 

Any student of the Jews can readily name the 
time of their greatest prosperity. Beyond all 
question it embraces the reigns of David and Sol- 
omon. This period of national splendor was 
broken into two clearly defined sections, (a) 
David's reign was one of war, but of triumph; of 
bloodshed, but victory/ (b) Solomon's, on the other 
hand, was characterized by peace and splendor, by 
material development and exceeding glory. Now, 
what are these periods of national prosperity but 
a prefiguration of the reign of the greater David, 
who shall succeed to David's throne? (Hos. 3:4,5; 
Luke 1:32,33). A greater than Solomon, whose 
glory shall fill the whole earth. David's reign typi- 
fies the Millennial Era, being one of war, but vic- 
tory; while Solomon's is representative of the glo- 



240 The Blessed Hope. 

rious reign of the Prince of Peace, a time of world- 
wide holiness unmarred by sin, beyond the Judg- 
ment day. The worldly-minded cannot see anything 
greater than the glory which passed away with the 
death of Solomon. But a spiritual reader of the 
Bible can see in these limited things a prophecy and 
a promise of the greater glory which shall cover 
the earth and never pass away. The one is limited 
to Israel, partial in results, and perishes, like the 
king who occupied its throne. The other embraces 
all nations, peoples and tongues, fills the whole 
world, and endures as long as the throne of God 
itself (Hab. 2:14; Zech. 9:10; Dan. 2:44). That 
which has been is simply a figure of that which 
shall be. 

IV. THE ANTICHRIST. 

The solution of all the questions touching the 
Antichrist is puzzling. We believe the key, how- 
ever, may be found in the idea we are now 
setting forth. Men have debated sharply the 
question, Is the Antichrist to be found in history? 
or shall we look for him in the future? Is he 
behind us, or ahead? John tells us there were 
many antichrists in his day. These have continued, 
and we may find their chief heading up or principal 
manifestation in the Papacy. But, as the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem is only a type of the great tribu- 
lation, and the Davidic and Solomonic reigns are but 
a prophecy of Israel's future glory, so the awful, 
blood-curdling wickedness of the Romish Anti- 
christ is but a dim and horrid outline of the match- 
less, merciless doings of him who shall scourge the 



Prophecy Twofold. 241 

earth, in company with the dragon, leaving con- 
sternation and sorrow, blood and wreckage in his 
train (Rev., 13th chapter). 

V. THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET. 

This section but continues the preceding one, as 
the beast is certainly the man of sin; the Anti- 
christ. Looking backward the candid Bible stu- 
dent will most likely name Romanism for one, 
Mohammedanism for the other. Looking forward, 
the student of prophecy sees a personal Antichrist, 
accompanied by a misleading, lying prophet, who 
worships the Devil and works in the interest of the 
arch enemy of our Lord. Both are right. 

VI. AS TO DURATION. 

Many have crossed swords in the arena of Bibli- 
cal polemics concerning the length of time the 
Antichrist is to continue, which is given as "forty- 
two months," 1,260 days, or "a time, times and a 
half" (Rev. 11; Dan. 12). The question is, Shall he 
curse the earth for a literal period of three years 
and a half only, or shall his existence continue 
through 1,260 years? May we not find a solution 
in the double nature of prophecy? After the his- 
torical mode of interpretation we would say 1,260 
years, and locate our Lord's chief opponent in the 
Papacy; but following the view of the futurist 
and looking forward we shall expect a domination 
of the nations by the Antichrist for a literal period 
of 1,260 days, or three and a half years. From 
this it would appear that the great tribulation will 
last for three and a half years, and it is also likely 

16 



242 The Blessed Hope. 

that the rapture, while Christ and His saints are in 
the air together, will cover the same length of time. 
By our dual mode of construing the predictions we 
believe both the historical and the futurist view may 
be right. The papal Antichrist ruled and cursed 
the world 1,260 years; the personal Antichrist, the 
beast, shall spread fire and sword, desolation and tor- 
ment, death and anguish that would die but cannot 
(Rev. 9:6), and his time shall be a specific period of 
forty-two months, twelve hundred and sixty days. 

VII. THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON. 

Shall we expect this awful war to occur at the be- 
ginning, or at the close of the Millennium? By 
studying the 13th, 14th and 16th chapters of Reve- 
lation with the 20:7-10 we are led to believe that 
this battle will be twofold, occurring as shown by 
the Revelator just before the appearing of Christ, 
and being repeated at the end of the Millennium, 
when Satan instigates his final revolt. (See specially 
Rev. 16:8-17; 20:8-10). 

VIII. THE PURGATION OF THE EARTH. 

This is twofold. The world was destroyed by 
water in the days of Noah. It is to be purged with 
fire in the days to come. Death by water is perhaps 
the mildest form known, while that by fire is doubt- 
less the most awful. From this we conclude that 
the first visitation was mild compared to that which 
is to come on the earth. We have the baptism with 
water as a symbol of regeneration, and the baptism 
of fire as a figure of sanctification. The earth 
passed from the Antediluvian age of rebellion and 



Prophecy Twofold . 243 

exceeding wickedness into the Postdiluvian, which 
was an era of better things, at its baptism with 
water. It shall receive its sanctifying baptism of 
fire, in the day when all things are made new. 

IX. CHRIST'S COMINGS. 

The very subject of this book, the comings of 
Christ, illustrates the double nature of prophecy. 
Let us contrast the two advents: The first was in 
lowliness, the second shall be in splendor. The 
first was as a helpless Babe, the second will be as 
a mighty Judge. The first, as a poor toiler, a hum- 
ble man, weak, worn, weary, needing food, requir- 
ing rest and demanding sleep. The second, as the 
mighty God, earth's sovereign Lord, the Judge of 
quick and dead, the Renovator of all things. At 
His first advent His divinity was hidden behind the 
veil of His humanity and thereby obscured. At 
His second advent His divinity will be to the front. 
The radiant splendor and matchless majesty of His 
glorious appearing will make all recognize the God- 
head, His unclouded, eternal divinity. Now, who 
could have known from the early prophecies of His 
coming that He would be manifested in this two- 
fold character, and especially that hundreds of 
years would intervene between His lowly advent 
and His majestic apocalypse? Take as a sample 
the prophecy of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, 
"Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of 
his saints." This indicated nothing as to His first 
coming, but seemed to entirely overlook it. On the 
other hand, Isaiah declares, "A virgin shall con- 
ceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Im- 



244 The Blessed Hope. 

manuel" (Isa. 7:14). In this there is nothing of the 
majesty and glory portrayed by Enoch. These 
prophecies we know are true, but how could those 
who lived in the days of the Master's sojourn 
among men recognize in Him the fulfillment of both 
predictions? They did not discern in Him the 
Saviour, coming first by the manger, being born of 
the humble virgin, and second in glory, cloud- wrapt, 
and angel-attended. All this serves to illustrate the 
truth we are presenting. While prophecy is singu- 
lar in its form, it may be, and most commonly is, 
double in its meaning and fulfillment. 

X. OUR LORD ENTERS JERUSALEM TWICE. 

In Luke's gospel (19:28-40) we have a picture of 
Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the colt. The mul- 
titude thronged His path, spreading their garments 
before Him. They rejoiced, praising God with a 
loud voice, and 

"Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of 
the Lord: peace in heaven, and glorv in the highest" (Luke 

19:38). 

This seems like a great ado over a destitute, way- 
worn traveler, of humble birth and carpenter train- 
ing. Behold the scene ! A poor man riding into 
the city on a borrowed ass, and men shouting them- 
selves hoarse over Him as a great King, whose glory 
shall reach to the very heavens. The whole thing 
seems like a travesty upon the kingly office, a poor 
sort of parody. But in it is a lesson; it is a picture, 
simply a foretoken, of what shall be. This same 
humble Carpenter, riding, not upon a donkey, but 
on the clouds of heaven, shall come to Jerusalem, 



Prophecy Tivofold. 245 

while heaven and earth join the acclaim, "Blessed 
be He that cometh in the name of the Lord." 

XI. THE TRANSFIGURATION.* 

Jesus said, 

"The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father 
with his angels; and then he shall reward every man accord- 
ing to his works. 

u Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, 
which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man 
coming in his kingdom" (Matt. 16:27,28). 

Some have supposed this pointed to Pentecost; 
hut the Son of man was not "seen" then; the Spirit 
was present and tongues of fire appeared, but 
Jesus was not visible. Others have supposed that 
some then present should never die: but we have 
no record of any of the disciples escaping death. 
They likely all suffered as martyrs. What, then, 
is the meaning of the passage? Simply this: The 
transfiguration was a miniature revelation of His 
kingdom and glory. The verses we have quoted 
are the last from the sixteenth chapter of Matthew. 
The seventeenth opens with an account of the 
transfiguration. When Matthew wrote his gospel 
he made no chapter divisions. This, therefore, is 
a consecutive statement, embracing the promise 
that some then present should not die till they had 
seen Him in His kingdom and glory, and going 
immediately forward to the scene attendant upon 
His glorification — the transfiguration. The follow- 
ing points will be observed by the careful reader 
of the account (Matt. 17:1-6; Mark 9:1-7). 

* See Watson's "Christ Returneth." 15c. This office. 



24(3 Tlie Blessed Hope. 

(a) The Master's appearance became glorious, 
His countenance shining as the sun, and even His 
raiment ■ 'white as the light/' It reminds us of 
the description of Him in the Revelation (1:12-18). 
Also of His advent picture (Rev. 19:11-16). (b) 
There appeared with Him Moses and Elias. These 
are a necessary part of the apocalyptic scene. 
They are types of all those who shall be in it. 
Moses represents the holy dead raised to life and 
marshaled out to attend their Lord in His kingly 
majesty. Elias is the type of the holy living who 
shall escape the ravages of death and by transla- 
tion, in transfigured glory, be caught up to join 
those who have been rescued from the fell de- 
stroyer. 

Thus we have here a sample of the dead raised 
and the living translated. In the one case, corrup- 
tion (the dead) has put on incorruptibility; in the 
other, the mortal has put on immortality. Both 
alike are with the King in His beauty, sharing His 
glory. But this is not all. (c)_Another impressive 
feature appears, in the fact that Peter, James and 
John were also present. They represent those 
who continue in the flesh when the Lord comes. 
Here we have then the Master in glory, in His 
kingdom, attended by those who have thro resur- 
rection come into honor and immortality, together 
with those who by translation share in His transfig- 
uration. There are also present others, who behold 
the glory, but are not privileged to share in it. 

That we are not mistaken in this interpretation 
is evident. Peter confirms us. He said, 



Prophecy Twofold. 217 

•'For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when 
we made known unto you the power and coming* of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 

"For he received from God the Father honour and glory, 
when there came such a voice to him from the excellent 
glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

"And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when 
we were with him in the holy mount" (2 Pet. 1:16-18). 

He locates the scene, "when we were with Him 
in the holy mount," and refers it to the "power 
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ/' Now what 
is all this but simply a miniature representation — 
a sample, of the appearing and kingdom of our 
Lord? It is a pledge or earnest of what shall be, 
and confirms the twofold interpretation of proph- 
ecy, in that He came "after six days" and yet is to 
come. 

ELIAS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

This is a subject of peculiar interest. We read in 
Malachi: 

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the 
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 

"And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the chil- 
dren, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I 
come and smite the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:5,6). 

A question, Was John the Elias here foretold? 
Some say yes, others deny. Perhaps the solution 
is to be found in the view we are now presenting. 
He was the symbolic Elijah, but not the real. But 
did not Jesus say, "This is Elias which was for to 
come" (Matt. 11 :14) ? The Greek says, < 'This is Elias 
which is about to come.*' The original is the same 
as Matt. 16:27. The literal rendering of which is, 
"The Son of man is about to come in His glory." 



248 The Blessed Hope. 

We know that His coming in glory was then 
future, as it is yet, and in the Greek He says the 
same of Elias. He is "about to come." We know 
that John had already come, had done his work and 
fulfilled his ministry. Now when Christ applies to 
him the title of "Elias" He sets forth the fact that 
he was merely a symbol of the true Elijah. Elijah's 
real, personal coming, like that of the Son of man 
in His glory, is future. 

John himself denied being the Elias. They asked 
him, "Art thou Elias?" and he saith to them, "I am 
not" (John 1:21). Did the great prophet lie? Sure- 
ly not. Then he was not the real Elijah, but sim- 
ply the type. The antitype has not yet appeared. 
Jesus called the bread and wine of the sacrament, 
His body and His blood. Romanists have foolishly 
built their dogma of transubstantiation upon this 
saying. We recognize these simple elements as but 
symbols or types of the actual body and blood. As 
the bread was the body and the wine the blood of 
the Crucified, so was John the Baptist the EUas 
who should prepare the way of the Lord. The real 
Elijah will doubtless as far eclipse the typical as 
the second appearing of our Lord will surpass His 
first advent. 

This is fully confirmed by the terms of Malachi's 
prediction. His prophecy has reference, not to the 
appearing of the Lamb of God for sacrifice, but to 
the coming of the Lion of the tribe of Judah for 
judgment. He speaks of it as the "great and ter- 
rible day of the Lord," which we know is yet future. 
There was no great and terrible day when the Babe 
of Bethlehem was laid in the manger. John as the 



Prophecy Tivofold. 249 

prophetic forerunner appeared nineteen hundred 
years ago, but the real Elijah will no doubt appear 
in great power just before our Lord shall take to 
Himself the reins of universal empire. The proph- 
ecy is one, the fulfillment twofold.* 

Jesus came and is to come. Elias appeared 
among men as a forerunner of Christ in the person 
of John; he will come in his own personality 
doubtless just before the advent of the Judge. 

From the foregoing we see as the Bible has two 
grand divisions, the first leading up to and giving 
place to the second, so its prophecies have two 
chief fulfillments, the earlier being greatly eclipsed 
by the later. 

* Seiss in his Lectures on the Apocalypse, Vol. Il.^pages 180- 
207, strongly maintains that the two witnesses of Revelation 
11 are Enoch and Elijah. He believes that these men, who 
have been for many centuries in the celestial city, will re- 
turn, face the Antichrist and antagonize his pernicious work 
with great power. In the end he will succeed in killing 
them, and thus will be fulfilled the Scripture which says, "It 
is appointed unto all men once to die" (Heb. 9:27). These two 
men are the only exceptions in all history to the universal 
decree of death. If our author is correct, they will go the 
way of all the earth in their day. We strongly recommend 
the reader to consult the Seiss Lectures. The arguments are 
ingenious and very conclusive, 



250 The Blessed Hope. 



Relation of His Coming- to Other 
Questions. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Men often ask, What is gained by preaching 
upon this subject? ' 'If I am converted and ready to 
die, why should I worry about His coming?" Is 
it not enough to love God, and leave all these 
speculative questions to the future? These ques- 
tions are quite common. We reply, First, with 
some counter questions. Should we not study 
every Bible doctrine? What is to be gained by 
slighting the word of God? Is ignorance of any 
Bible truth allowable, when one may be informed? 
If the matter is taught in the Scriptures, what 
excuse can we make when standing before the King 
for neglecting it? Is not the word a lamp to our 
feet (Psa. 119:105)? Should we not search the 
Scriptures (John 5:39)? Ought we not hide the 
word in our hearts as a shield from sin (Psa. 
119:11)? Is not the searching of God's Word a 
mark of nobility (Acts 17:11)? Is not a blessing 
promised upon the man who meditates on the law 
day and night (Psa. 1:2)? Is not all Scripture 
given by inspiration of God and profitable, making 
wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15,17)? 

Men exhort us to prepare for death, but where in 
the good Book do we find such exhortation? Heze- 
kiah was told to set his house in order, for he 



Relation of His Coming to Other Questions. 251 

should die (Isa. 38:1), but this was a special case, 
an individual. We know of no passage in all 
God's Word which commands us to get ready for 
death. It rather exhorts us to prepare to meet 
God (Amos -4:12). To be ready for the coming of 
the Son of man (Luke 12:40). What right have we 
to place our exhortations on a lower basis than the 
word of God? Death is low, coarse, corrupt, a 
thing to be dreaded, to be shrunk from as an enemy 
(1 Cor: 15:26). Christ is good and high, holy, pure, 
noble, a friend to be welcomed — hence His return 
is set forth as the ' 'blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). 

It is said that on an average every 25th verse 
in the New Testament refers to the return of our 
Lord. It occupies a large place in the gospels, is 
not neglected in the Acts, is very common in the 
Epistles, being mentioned in nearly all of them. 
As to the book of Revelation, this doctrine is the 
key note. His coming in the clouds is presented in 
the first chapter (verse 7), thence it runs through the 
whole-book, being presented in three different verses 
of the last chapter, the Master Himself asserting, 
•'Behold, I come quickly.'' For these reasons we 
insist that the doctrine must not be neglected — that 
it should form the staple of our preaching, the 
chief basis for our exhortations and appeals. 

But we wish to note its relation to other doc- 
trines. 

(1) Repentance. "Repent therefore and be con- 
verted, for the blotting out of your sins, so times 
of refreshing may come from the presence of the 
Lord, and that He may send Him who was before 
proclaimed to you, Jesus Christ, whom the heaven 



252 The Blessed Hojie. 

must indeed receive till the times of the restoration 
of all things" (Acts 3:19-21; Hind's Literal Transla- 
tion). Thus repentance is enforced by the coming 
of the Lord. To the church at Sardis the Master 
exhorts ' 'repent," and declares as a means of en- 
forcing it, ' 'I will come on thee as a thief, and 
thou shalt not know what hour I will come" (Rev. 
3:3). 

(2) Conversion. Paul used this doctrine to awaken 
the heathen, and by it led them out of idolatry to 
the love and service of God. ' ' Ye turned to God 
from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to 
wait for His Son from heaven, whom he raised from 
the dead, even Jesus" (1 Thess. 1:9,10). If Paul 
preached it to the heathens with such good results, 
might we not profitably preach it to the sinners of 
our generation? 

(3) Zeal. Any doctrine that will increase the in- 
terest of Christians and make them zealous for 
God is surely important. Paul asked his converts 
at one place, ''What is our hope, or joy, or crown 
of rejoicing? are not even ye, in the presence of 
our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?" As if to 
answer his own question, he says, "Ye are our 
glory and joy" (1 Thess. 2:19,20). The day of the 
crowning, the time of our reward, is at the coming 
of the Lord (2 Tim. 4:8). Now, if we would be 
prepared for God's pay day, that we may make a 
good report and receive a rich recompense, we 
must be very diligent. Our Lord, going away, 
said to His servants, "Occupy till I come" (Luke 
19:13). The Master bids us lay up our treasures in 
heaven, keep our lamps trimmed and burning, and 



Relation of His Coming to Other Questions. 253 

our loins girded about, and to live "like unto men 
that wait for their Lord, that when he cometh and 
knocketh they may open unto him immediately. 
Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when 
he cometh shall find watching" — not for death, but 
for Him (Luke 12:34-37). 

(4) Watchfulness. "Watch therefore; for ye know 
not what hour your Lord doth come." "Take ye 
heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when 
the time is." "Watch ye therefore; for ye know 
not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, 
or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the 
morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleep- 
ing." Again, "Behold, I come as a thief . Blessed 
is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments" 
(Matt. 24:42; Mar. 13:32-37; Rev. 16:15). Calvin 
wisely said, ' 'It must be held as a first principle, that, 
ever since the ascension of Christ there is nothing 
left to the faithful but that they be wakeful and 
watchful; to be always ready for his second advent." 
"Oh! if we could only get the church to heed this 
admonition, and to remember that ' The day of the 
Lord will come as a thief in the night. ' If it is not 
so, why has the Saviour told us so earnestly to watch, 
and pointed out so many signs by which we should 
be guided, and so repeatedly admonished us to 
take heed lest that day come upon us unawares? 
All these things prove that the judgment will 
come upon the world unexpected except to the de- 
voutest and most watchful of His children. How 
important, therefore, that we should study with 
profoundest care what the prophets have written 
upon this subject for our learning! With what 



254 The Blessed Hope. 

solemn concern should we contemplate the myste- 
rious movements of the age in which we live! With 
what absorbing interest should we ponder the signs 
by which we are to know when the great day shall 
come! Woe, woe, woe, to them whom Christ, 
when He comes, shall find ignorant of the times, 
and faithless to their duty" (The Last Times, p. 156). 

(5) Sobriety. 

''Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and 
hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you 
at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13). 

"But the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore 
sober, and watch unto prayer" (1 Pet. 4:7). 

"The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the 
night. .. .therefore let us not sleep as do others, 
but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thess. 5:2,6). 
The world is giddy, full of its frivolities, vanities, 
lusts and empty pleasures. What is more calculated 
to render men thoughtful, to make them serious, 
to impress upon them the solemn issues of time 
and eternity, than that Jesus may come to-day? 
Post-millennialism, in its vain dream of gradually 
converting the world ere His appearing, utterly 
vitiates this truth, and loses the value of the doc- 
trine of His coming as an incentive to watchful- 
ness and sobriety. 

(6) Fidelity. In the parable of the talents we 
have an illustration enforcing the importance of 
faithfulness. The Lord is absent, but after a long 
time comes and reckons with His servants. Those 
found faithful in the use of their Lord's money are 
rewarded, while he who buried his talent is cast 
into outer darkness (Matt. 25:14,30). 



Relation of His Coming to Other Questions. 255 

"And, behold, I come quickly: and my reward is with me, 
to give every man according- as his work shall be" (Rev. 
22:12). 

Again we read of a case in which the evil servant 
said in his heart, "My Lord delayeth his coming," 
and as a result he gave himself up to drunkenness, 
and began to mistreat his fellow-servants. "The 
Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he 
looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not 
aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and shall 
appoint him his portion with the hypocrites" (Matt. 
24:48,51). 

(7) Confession. 

"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my 
words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also 
shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the 
glory of his Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38). 

Men frequently backslide by failing to acknowl- 
edge the Master and to confess Him before wicked 
men, but he who lives with the thought uppermost 
of His glorious appearing at any moment, is made 
strong to confess Him, though in the midst of 
most ungodly surroundings. 

(8) Spiritaal-mindedness. Ours is a secular age, 
pre-eminently. The increase of learning, the ac- 
cumulation of wealth, the commercial spirit of our 
times, all tend to worldliness. The dollar is out- 
weighing the cross in the minds of men. The store 
is supplanting the church, the Sunday newspaper 
is superseding the Bible, and things secular are 
submerging spirituality, and eclipsing things 
eternal. Let us hear a word from the Master; it 
may lift our hearts above things perishable to things 
eternal. 



256 The Blessed Hope. 

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole 
world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in 
exchange for his soul? 

"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father 
with his angels: and then he shall reward every man accord- 
ing to his works" (Matt. 16:26,27). . 

(9) The death of self. 

"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye 
also appear with him in glory. 

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the 
earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil 
concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3: 
3-5). 

The fleshly life is carnal. Its domination of the 
church accounts for low spirituality, general 
weakness and inefficiency. Faith, however, looks 
forward to the Master's appearing, and bids us 
seek Him as our very life ! In His strength we may 
live above the world, and by His grace and Spirit 
may be crucified those remains of carnality which 
hinder His love in us. If we draw our life from 
Him now we are promised that when He shall ap- 
pear in His glory we shall be with Him. Live 
in Him the spiritual life, and then appear with Him 
in the unfading glory. 

(10) Patience. 

"For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done 
the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 

"For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, 
and will not tarry" (Heb. 10:36,37). 

O, the value of patience! How important, yet 
how rare. Having done the will of God, after pa- 
tient waiting for a little while we shall receive the 
promise, for the Father hath pledged that He will 
come and will not tarry. James also exhorts the 



Relation of His Coming to Other Questions. 257 

brethren to be "patient unto the coming of the 
Lord." He enforces his exhortation by the hus- 
bandman waiting for the earth's yield, and con- 
tinues, "Be ye also patient, stablish your hearts 
for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (Jas. 5: 
7,8). Paul speaks of those who by patient con- 
tinuance in welldoing obtain eternal life. ' 'At the 
revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who 
will render to every man according to his deeds" 
(Rom. 2: 5-7). 

(11) Spotlessness. "I give thee charge in the 
sight of God, who quickeneth all things, .... keep 
this commandment without spot, unrebukable, 
until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" 
(1 Tim. 6:13,14). 

If the church can be brought to this attitude 
of expectancy and consequent spotlessness, it will 
greatly increase her efficiency. 

(12) Endurance of trial. 

"That the trial of your faith, being" much more precious 
than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, 
might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the ap- 
pearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7). 

"But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suf- 
ferings: that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be 
glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Pet. 4:13). 

So many in the hour of test, in the time of 
temptation, fall away. Thus the purposes of God 
are thwarted, and the labor of His servants lost. 
There is no doctrine more calculated to build one 
up in the very midst of fiery trials, to nerve him 
for the martyr's stake, if necessary, than a true 
view of our Lord's coming, with all its attendant 
scenes and consequences. 

17 



258 Tlie Blessed Hope. 

(13) Faithfulness. The prophet informs us that 
"like people, like priest" (Hos. 4:9). A degenerate 
church, full of riches and self-esteem, usually 
causes the preacher to blackslide, forbidding him 
to deliver the full message of God, on penalty of 
starvation or dismissal. A weak, vacillating pulpit- 
eer cannot face the issue. All such go down be- 
fore this high tide of worldliness. Woe worth the 
day when a preacher, forgetting his high commis- 
sion, and that he is the representative of God, 
yields to the whims of an unregenerate congrega- 
tion, and so fails to proclaim the message with 
which God sent him to the people! Remember 
Jonah! As an incentive to fidelity Paul said to 
Timothy : 

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus 
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appear- 
ing and his kingdom: 

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; 
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" 
(2 Tim. 4:1,2). 

Peter likewise bade the preacher ''Feed the flock 
of God. . . .not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 
neither as being lords over God's heritage, but 
being ensamples to the flock." By what motive 
does he enforce his exhortation? "When the chief 
Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of 
glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:2-4). 

(14) Looking upward. 

"For our conversation is in heaven: from whence also we 
look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 

"Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned 
like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby 
he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" (Phil. 
3:20,21). 



Relation of His Coming to Other Questions. 259 

Men sometimes reside in one country and hold 
their citizenship in another. This indicates confi- 
dence in and love for the far away nation. Our elder 
Brother is at present in the heavenly land. We 
hold our citizenship with Him in that celestial 
world, and from thence we look for His appearing 
in glory possessing all power, whereby He shall 
change the body of our humiliation (not our vile 
body, as in the King James Version, but simply our 
humiliated body, because it is subject to disease 
and death), and subject everything to His own glo- 
rious reign. 

(15) Pentecostal gifts. 

"So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming" 
of our Lord Jesus Christ: 

"Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be 
blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:7,8). 

In Apostolic days the thought of His early return 
was the source of great inspiration, abounding 
zeal, and an all-prevailing faith; under such condi- 
tions spiritual gifts abounded. The power of ex- 
hortation, of healing diseases, of combating and 
subduing heathenism was common in the little 
Apostolic fold. If the proper view of this subject, 
with all its accompanying truths, should become 
common, we believe these gifts would be revived. 
In fact, we see them now in some places among the 
waiting ones. For example, consider the cases of 
A. B. Simpson, A. J. Gordon, J. Hudson Taylor, 
and that mighty man of faith, George Mueller — 
every one of these wonder-working servants of 
God is inspired by the hope of His near coming. 



260 TJie Blessed Hope. 

(16) Charitable Judgment. 

"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord 
come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of 
darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: 
and then shall every man have praise of God" (1 Cor. 4:5). 

Expecting the early coming of our Lord in His 
judgment-power and glory, we had better leave 
the character of others in His hands. * 'Judge not 
that ye be not judged" (Matt. 7:1). 

(17) Enthronement. 

"Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold we have 
forsaken all, and followed thee: what shall we have therefore? 

"And Jesus said unto them. Verily I say unto you, That 
ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the 
Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall 
sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" 
(Matt. 19:27,28). 

Our day of crowning has not yet come. The 
enthroning of His saints is at the time of His own 
crowning, when He shall come and take possession 
of the Kingdom. Now is the time of the powers 
of darkness. The god of this world holds sway, 
and the true, the apostolic servants of Christ, are 
hated and rejected (John 15:19,20). In that day 
they shall be loved and honored, and shall sit on 
thrones in regal power and splendor. 

(18) Comfort. 

"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so 
them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

"Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 
Thess. 4:14-18). 

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, 
and receive vou unto myself: that where I am. there ye may 
be also" (John 14:3). 

Christ said, I will not leave you orphans — com- 
fortless, or alone. His Spirit abides to-day, and 



Relation of His Coming to Other Questions. 261 

His word points us to His glorious Apocalypse in 
some sweet, near-by, but as yet unknown day. 
Let every sorrowing heart take comfort. Let every 
weeping one dry the falling tear. He will come, 
yea, He will come in great power, and will exalt 
us, if faithful, and array us in habiliments of 
glory, and crown us with a fadeless crown of life. 
Beloved, though hard the world may serve you, 
though bitter may seem your portion, though trials 
may be multiplied, though friends may prove un- 
true, yet look up and lift up your head, be holy, be 
true to God, and be of good cheer. 

The Master is coming, He's coming again, 
His scepter shall sway both hilltop and plain, 
He's coming in glory, He's coming in power, 
With joy we shall hail Him, Oh speed the blest hour! 
Look up from your sorrows and dry every tear, 
Be humble and trustful, O be of good cheer; 
He's coming. He's coming, in glory arrayed, 
We'll shout Him a welcome, and ne'er be afraid. 
He's coming to take us, to crown us with life, 
To ease every burden, to end every strife. 
He's coming, Hallelujah! His coming is near, 
Oh, how we shall shout when He shall appear! 



262 TJie Blessed Hope. 



The Coming and Holiness. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

The curse of the world is sin. Anything that 
will tend to its overthrow or to the weakening of 
its grasp upon the hearts of men is a God- send. 
Holiness is the great desideratum. It is the core 
of the whole redemptive scheme. In order that it 
might be introduced and promoted, the Bible was 
inspired of God, and written by holy men (2 Tim. 
1:16,17; 2 Pet. 1:21). The ministry in its various 
branches was divinely inaugurated for the promo- 
tion of holiness (Eph. 4:11-13). God is worshiped 
because He is holy (Psa. 99:5,9). He is to be wor- 
shiped in the-beauty of holiness, and only therein 
does He receive the glory due unto His name (Psa. 
96:9; 29:2). Holiness is commanded (Lev. 19:2; 
20:7,8; 11:44; Gen. 17:1; 1 Pet. 1:15,16). Without 
holiness we shall not see God in His beauty and 
glory (Heb. 12:14), for only the pure in heart shall 
see God (Matt. 5:8). 

There are those who tell us that we cannot be 
holy in this life. In this case, as in others, the 
advocates of error quote Scripture. They refer 
us to the 14th Psalm. "There is none that doeth 
good, no, not one." They seem to entirely over- 
look the fact that in the same Psalm we are in- 
formed that those sinners did not understand nor 
seek after God, and that they are in great fear, for 



The Coming and Holiness. 263 

"God is in the generation of the righteous" (verses 
4,5). Again, they take us to the third of Romans 
(verses 9-11), but strangely fail to consider the 
following verses in which we are informed that 
those whom the writer has described have no part 
nor lot with the people of God. Let the reader 
take his Bible and begin at the 10th verse and read 
to the 18th. The apostle gives a very minute de- 
scription of the most abominable characters, and 
then, to make it unmistakably clear that he has no 
reference whatever to Christians, he says, "There 
is no fear of God before their eyes" (verse 18). 
Can man, with any show of reason at all, make 
these diabolical characteristics apply to the fol- 
lowers of the holy Christ? 

Again, the opponent of holiness quotes from St. 
John, "If we say we have no sin we deceive our- 
selves" (1 John 1:8). That this refers to human 
nature without grace, as the passages we have just 
examined, is evident, for in the preceding verse we 
are informed that "The blood of Jesus Christ His 
Son cleanseth us from all sin." The sinful state is 
natural, the holy state spiritual, supernatural. It is 
simply a question as in the patent medicine adver- 
tisement, of "before taking and after taking." 
While all men are sinners by nature, God has pro- 
vided redemption by which we may each be saved 
from all sin. Christ is called "Jesus" because He 
saves His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). In- 
deed He saves to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25). He 
taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29). His 
blood was shed for our sanctification (Heb. 13:12), 
and our sanctification is the will of God (1 Thess. 4: 



264 The Blessed Hope. 

3-8). Through this grace we are brought into one- 
ness with Him (Heb. 2:11). Christ is made of God 
unto us sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30), and He demands 
of us that we perfect holiness (2 Cor. 7:1), and has 
even sworn an oath that we may serve Him in holi- 
ness all our days (Luke 1:73-75). His grace is 
sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9). His Spirit works 
our sanctification (2 Thess. 2:13), and for our aid 
He pledges all power in heaven and in earth (Matt. 
28:18). All sin is of the Devil, and hence a sinning 
religion is his counterfeit of the gospel of the 
grace of God. 

Now, any doctrine that will promote holiness 
must be true, and should be preached. We claim 
the right to press the thought of His near coming 
on this ground. He who expects Jesus to come 
suddenly, perhaps this very day, sees and feels the 
need of holiness. How else can one greet the de- 
scending Judge with joy? The stronghold of sin 
is in the blindness of man to spiritual things, in his 
thought of the far-away-ness of God. To the average 
man God is intangible and almost unreal; but 
startle this slumbering. soul with the warnings of 
the Judge, with the trumpet blasts of glory, with 
the sight of the descending Lion of the tribe of 
Judah, and forthwith he becomes all-attentive, and 
holiness is seen to be the one thing needful. Ac- 
cordingly, we read: 

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet 
appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall 
appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 

"And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth him- 
self, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2,3). 



Tlie Coming and Holiness. 265 

What is the "hope" of which the Apostle speaks? 
It has no reference to what is known as a * 'hope-so" 
religion. He asserts, "now are we the children of 
God." The language is positive, and refers to a 
conscious assurance, not a weak, flagging hope. 
In fact, one cannot hope for a thing which he has 
in possession. As the term hope is compounded of 
two things, desire and expectation, it necessarily 
refers to things future. Then what does St. John 
tell us, and what is the hope to which he refers? 
Simply this: we are now Christians — born of God; 
at the Master's appearing our mortal shall put on 
immortality; our decaying bodies shall be rendered 
all-glorious, like unto His transfigured body. 
Seeing Him in the fullness of His glory, we shall 
be like Him. Such is the hope. Now what is the 
effect? Purity. He who has the hope of seeing 
and being like his risen Lord cannot afford to 
grovel in the dust like the worldlings around him. 
He must be free from sin, he must be holy. Conse- 
quently every evil habit is abandoned, every ques- 
tionable thing laid aside, and with this hope inspir- 
ing him, he presses onward and upward to higher 
heights of full salvation. Thus the expectation of 
Christ's early coming promotes holiness. On the 
other hand, what can be more soul-inspiring to the 
sanctified servant of God than the thought of see- 
ing his gracious Lord at an early day? Hence, as 
the work of sanctification is promoted, the interest 
in the Saviour's return is intensified. Those who 
look for His coming soon are lovers of holiness, 
while those who enjoy the life of full salvation are^ 



266 The Blessed Hope. 

most commonly interested in the question of our 
Lord's appearing. 

But let us examine a few Scriptures touching the 
question. 

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I 
pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved 
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 
Thess. 5:23). 

The entire sanctification of spirit, soul and body 
is "unto," that is, for the coming. This implies 
that we will not be ready for the glorious manifes- 
tation of our Lord unless we are thus sanctified. 
Again, the promotion of brotherly love is coupled 
with this truth in order that we may be holy at the 
coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with 
His saints (1 Thess. 2:12,13). Paul bids us live 
righteously, and godly (in a godlike manner, holy) 
in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, 
and "the glorious appearing" of our Lord Jesus 
Christ (Titus 2:12,13). The Apostle immediately 
adds that He "gave himself for us, that he might 
redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself 
a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (verse 
14). The connection is clear between the looking 
for His appearing and the godly living, as a pecu- 
liar people, zealous for His glory. 

We wish to promote steadiness of character in 
Christians. We would have men holy, not only for 
to-day, but continually. The question of which 
we treat enforces the importance of abiding in Him. 

"And now, little children, abide in him; that when he 
shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed 
before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28). 



The Coming and Holiness. 267 

In view of the dissolution of the present order of 
things Peter urges holiness. 

"Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what 
manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation 
and godliness , 

"Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of 
God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, 
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat" (2 Pet. 3: 
11,12). 

In some quarters "holiness" preachers and work- 
ers have joined in antagonizing the truth for which 
we plead. Strange indeed! If they would carry- 
forward the great work of full salvation, they 
should preach a whole Bible. There is no truth 
more calculated to arouse the church and to awaken 
and intensify zeal, or to quicken missionary interest, 
or to break the deadening grip of the world, than 
the truth of the Lord's soon-coming. The advo- 
cates of holiness, as a second work of grace, teach 
that at regeneration, when the love of God is begun 
in the soul, the spiritual kingdom is set up in that 
life. But they believe that for the fullness of 
sanctification another work of grace is necessary, 
namely, the crucifixion of "the old man," the de- 
struction of the body of sin (Rom. 6:6-11). Then 
only are we crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20), made 
free from sin (John 8:36; Rom. 6:22). Then only 
is Christ crowned within (Eph. 3:17). 

Then is the indwelling foe cast out, the inborn 
traitor destroyed. Now this is exactly what takes 
place with the earth at the return of Christ. It is 
the period of the world's sanctification. Eighteen 
hundred years ago the Kingdom was set up on 
earth in pentecostal power, but the devil yet re~ 



268 The Blessed Hope. 

mains to hinder the work. When our Lord comes 
Satan will be cast out and sealed up in the bottom- 
less pit (Rev. 20:1-3). Then the strong man being 
bound, his goods will be spoiled (Matt. 12:29). The 
shackles by which he has bound the world will be 
broken. The power of sin will be cancelled, and 
holiness will fill the earth. Thus the world is sancti- 
fied, receiving its second blessing. Hallelujah! 
Then will be fulfilled the prayer so long on the lips 
of His faithful ones, "Thy Kingdom come; Thy will 
be done in earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10). 
The Kingdom can only come when the King comes. 
If we desire the Kingdom, let us pray for the coming 
of the King. 



Slg?is of His Corning. 269 



Signs of His Coming. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Let it be distinctly understood by all, I have no 
dates to set; but we have many reasons for believing 
the coming of Jesus near. He would have us ever 
looking for Him, and always ready to shout Him 
welcome. Some of our reasons may appear more 
impressive than others. When combined they seem 
to the writer unanswerable. We submit the follow- 
ing points: 

(1) Christ's Tivo Comings Combined are the key to 
the Bible. 

We are dealing now with His second advent, and 
it holds the key to prophecies yet unfulfilled. 

; 'Andhe said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed 
up and sealed till the time of the end" (Dan. 12:9). 

From this passage we would conclude that there 
are Scriptures the purport of which may not be un- 
derstood till "the consummation of the days," "till 
the time of the end. ? ' Now, when a doctrine is found 
that unlocks the prophetic Scriptures, we may as- 
sume (a) that such doctrine is true; (b) that we have 
reached the time appointed when the seal should 
be broken. Just that is what this doctrine is doing. 
It is giving us a clue to the prophecies and open- 
ing the Word as a whole. He who neglects the 
"Blessed Hope*' of His early coming is forever con- 



270 The Blessed Hope. 

fused in the reading of the Bible. In fact, Post- 
millennialism is filling the church with a breed of 
so-called higher critics, who have emasculated the 
whole Word. They spiritualize away promises and 
threatenings alike, obscure the prophecies, dis- 
€redit the Apocalypse, and, shutting their eyes to 
spiritual deadness, glory in an optimistic blindness 
which is inexcusable. A proper view of Christ's 
return, on the other hand, opens the inner eye to 
the revealed word of God, fructifies the faith of the 
spiritual babe; develops a stalwart character, with 
undying devotion to the holy Writings, largely in- 
creasing his comprehension of them. 

(2) Spiritual Helpfulness. 

I find in my own experience a spiritual bonanza 
in this doctrine. Nothing has done more to in- 
crease in me the Christlife, to develop my faith, to 
intensify my Zealand to improve my religious expe- 
rience as a whole than this doctrine. It must, 
therefore, be true. God would not so bless false- 
hood. The study of the doctrine and the hope of 
my Saviour's soon-coming has proved so helpful to 
me that I feel like pressing it upon the attention 
of others, and conclude that as it has proven a 
spiritual message to my heart, so it will to others. 
Our Saviour is heard saying, ' 'Behold I come 
quickly." May reader and writer be thoroughly 
prepared to answer with the beloved disciple, "Even 
so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20). 

(3) Interest in this Subject. 

For some years I have been in the habit of 
preaching in my meetings and at other places, as 
opportunity afforded, from one to a half dozen ser- 



Signs of His Coming. 271 

mons on this subject. The congregations at these 
services have usually been the largest gathered 
during the meeting. In other words, the people 
want light. They are interested in the subject. 
There is a spirit of inquiry. Does this not indicate 
the day's approach? Is not the Master Himself 
stirring up the hearts of His people as to His re- 
turn? Again, we call attention to the large num- 
ber of books, papers, tracts, etc., that are being 
poured forth anent the return of the Lord. Preach- 
ers are awakening, writers are catching the in- 
spiration, doubters are realizing the truth, and the 
people are being stirred touching the matter. 
Surely this is the voice of the Bridegroom saying, 
* 'Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think 
not, the Son of man cometh." In some sense, these 
things seem to be the midnight cry, ' 'Behold, the x 
Bridegroom cometh." 

(4) General Expectancy. 

There is a world-wide looking for something. As 
to what this "something" is, men differ, but Chris- 
tians and sinners, good men and bad, among all na- 
tions, are looking for a great crisis, a world-wide 
upheaval of some kind. Many who reject the posi- 
tion assumed in this book, yet believe this crisis is 
on us. May not the thing expected be the coming 
of the Judge of all the earth, and the sifting of the 
nations? Is not this almost universal expectancy 
a premonition of the event? Was there not a sim- 
ilar state of mind at the birth in Bethlehem? 

(5) Distress of Nations. 

The whole world is in a state of upheaval and 
unrest. Nations are burdened to sustain vast 



272 TJie Blessed Hope. 

armies and large navies. The spirit of strife and 
contention is abroad. We have monarchy and de- 
mocracy, republicanism, socialism, nihilism and 
anarchy. There is turmoil and strife; restless anx- 
iety and fear; social and ecclesiastical disorder. 
' 'Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. " Gov- 
ernments are undergoing changes; their very foun- 
dations are being undermined. People are weary of 
the established order of things, and revolutions 
are in the air. There are elements of weakness in 
all known systems of governmental polity. "While 
there are some great nations that have vast re- 
sources, immense armies and unheard-of equip- 
ments, yet we are undoubtedly in the toe-stage of 
Nebuchadnezzar's image (Dan. 2); the governments 
are a mixture of iron and clay, of strength and weak- 
ness. 

Not only in governmental but in many other 
phases of life do we see this restless spirit, the 
foundations decaying. Famine has desolated India, 
and is to-day preying upon large provinces of 
China. Plagues are abroad, diseases are increas- 
ing in virulence and numoer. Who ever he&rd of 
"the grip" till a few years ago? Consumption is 
much more common than in former generations. 
Storms desolate land and sea, sweeping through 
the heart of a St. Louis, or submerging a Galves- 
ton. 

Coming to social and individual life, we find the 
same general unrest. There is an alarming in- 
crease in divorce, in the breaking up of marriage 
ties. It is doubtful if a single issue may be found 
of any of the great dailies in which there is not an 



SOME FAITHFUL, EARNEST ADVOCATES OF THE 
BLESSED HOPE. 




E. F. WALKER. 
B. F. HAYNES. 



M. W. KNAPP. 
J. O. McCLURKAN. 



SETH C. REES. 



Signs of His Coming. 273 

account of at least one divorce suit, oftentimes 
many. I counted four on one page of a newspaper 
recently. We are in the midst of awful days, the 
optimistic laudation of our times notwithstanding. 
Am I a pessimist? Apart from the hope of His glo- 
rious appearing there is abundance of room for one 
to be. But, bless God, the skies are lit with His 
coming glory. "The Sun of Righteousness shall 
soon arise with healing in His wings," and the night 
of sorrow shall vanish. Be it remembered "the 
darkest hour is frequently just before day." 

(6) Faith's Increase and Decay. 

Jesus tersely asked, "When the Son of man Com- 
eth, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). 

By this He does not mean to say that there will 
be no faith, but that it will be limited and weak. 
Does the reader recall the time when, Jesus being 
asleep, the Devil raised a great storm thinking to 
drown Him? The alarmed disciples awoke Him, 
crying, "Master, carest thou not that we perish?" 
(Mark 4:37,38). Jesus quelled the tempest, and 
rebuked His disciples because they lacked the faith 
by which they themselves could have stayed the 
storm. 

Strange scene! A Carpenter arising from His 
sleep, allaying a "great storm" and reproving 
His followers because their faith was so weak they 
could not themselves stop the raging tempest. If 
this is His standard of faith, where could He find it 
if He were to appear to-day? Have any of us the 
storm-quelling, Devil-driving, dead-raising, miracle- 
working faith? George Mueller had it while he 
fed 3,000 orphans, calling only upon God to supply 

18 



274 The Blessed Hojk. 

his necessities. But Mueller has gone to his re- 
gard. J. Hudson Taylor has it, and thereby has 
sent out and supports 600 missionaries in the heart 
of China. Wm. Taylor, Bishop of Africa, is a hero 
of faith, but the grand old man is standing on the 
borders of eternity pressing rapidly toward the 
crossing. His toils are ended, his days numbered, 
and the bells of heaven will soon be calling him 
liome. A. B. Simpson has it, as attested by 450 
missionaries in this and other lands. But ah! few 
;are the Simpsons, the Taylors, and the Muellers. 
May our Father pity our little power with Him, 
and raise up among His children some who may 
more perfectly represent the sycamore-lifting faith 
of our Master. There is a general lack of all-pre- 
vailing, triumphant faith. But the few instances 
that may be found serve to illustrate the type 
ivhich should prevail within the ranks of Zion.. 
Paith's general decadence, and yet isolated tri- 
umphs, confirms us in the belief that the time of the 
-end draweth near. 

(7) TJie Character of the Advocates of this hope. 

The value of any doctrine may be at least meas- 
urably determined by the character of its adherents. 
Who believes His coming to be near? What class 
of men and women are preaching this doctrine? 
"Who are its supporters? In our chapter on "Unin- 
spired Witnesses" will be found many illustrious 
names, among whom are the early fathers, and the 
greatest lights of ecclesiastical history. This doc- 
trine, from the human side, while certainly having 
some such within its ranks, as all great but neglected 
truths have, is not dependent upon the support of 



Signs of His Coming. 275 

fanatics or ignoramuses. It numbers among its 
supporters men of ripest scholarship, of the most 
massive intellect, of the most thorough knowledge 
of the Scriptures, and of the closest walk with God. 
Take, for example, the scholarly Delitzsch, the 
studious Dean Alford, the polished Canon Farrar; 
the tireless Grattan Guinness, the beloved A. J. 
Gordon, the successful D. L. Moody, the holy 
Fletcher, the voluminous and convincing writer, 
J. A. Seiss, the steadfast H. L. Hastings; and, 
beside many others, the noble apostles of faith 
mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Here 
may be found men and women who, like the worthies 
mentioned in the eleventh of Hebrews, "have sub- 
dued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained 
promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched 
the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the 
sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed 
valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the 
aliens" (Heb. 11:33,34). These people make things 
happen. They confuse gainsayers, win the lost 
to Christ, and stir nations for God. Show me 
a one-story D. D. wearing a two-story hat, with a 
gold-headed cane and gold ring, and with a cigar in 
his mouth, who rides on Sunday trains, chews to- 
bacco, buys and reads Sunday newspapers, pours 
forth a tirade of abuse against the holiness people, 
sneers at the second blessing, and who has not had 
a dozen conversions in twelve months, perhaps not 
in ten years, and I will show you a man who is a 
strong Post-millennialist, a great optimist, and who 
will likely declare that Christ cannot possibly come 
for at least sixty thousand years, "Because, my 



276 The Blessed Hope. 

brethren, we must first get the world converted, 
you know." It is well that he was thoughtful 
enough to allow himself sixty thousand years for 
the task. If he is the hope of the world's conver- 
sion, we may increase the time many tenfolds. We 
do not say that all Post-millennialists are of the 
type we have described, some certainly are not, 
but we know none who fit this description who are 
not Post-millennialists. We would advise our 
spiritually-minded brethren who are advocating 
Post-millennialism to remember poor Tray, and be 
careful of their company. 

(8) Increase of Wealth. 

We have elsewhere called attention to the heap- 
ing up of vast fortunes. In the fifth chapter of 
James the apostle condemns the rich who live in 
indulgence and self -gratification, and says, "Ye 
piled up treasure for (Greek "in") the last days." 

It is a prediction that at the time of the end this 
condition of things should prevail. No such vast 
estates were known in the days of the Apostles, 
not even among the rulers themselves, perhaps, as 
are being accumulated in these times. The papers 
have recently been full of accounts of the forma- 
tion of what is called "The billion dollar combine" 
of the iron and steel industries. This is but a mile- 
post indicating the approaching dissolution of the 
present order of things, the inauguration of a new 
era. Millionaires are a common product of our 
civilization. Men who are not able to rank with 
them are scarcely called rich. We believe it may 
be safely asserted that eighty per cent, of the 
wealth of this country is controlled by ten per 



Signs of His Coming. 277 

cent, of the people. Though I have not the figures 
at hand, this estimate is, I am sure, well within the 
truth, perhaps far below. In the history of all 
fallen empires we readily see their decadence began 
with the large increase of wealth. Riches breed 
softness and self-indulgence. All the old world 
powers fell in the days of their greatest prosperity 
and luxury. Witness Babylon, Nineveh, Rome. 
Riches beget laziness and ennui. They intensify 
selfishness and undermine the social fabric, robbing 
it of those elements of thrift that tend to hardihood 
and patriotism. The result is an early overthrow. 
So God will soon visit the civilization of our times, 
which is so largely given over to commercialism 
and greed. 

(9) Increase of Knowledge and Travel. 

Daniel, speaking of the time of the end, says, 
"Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall 
be increased. " According to this, we are undoubt- 
edly in the last days. The prophecy is twofold, 
(a) extensive travel — "many shall run to and fro;" 
and (b), the acquisition of knowledge. As to travel, 
this is pre-eminently its age. We are certainly safe 
within the facts when we say that travel is a hun- 
dredfold greater now than it was two centuries ago, 
we should, perhaps, say one century. The past 
hundred years have witnessed the invention and 
perfection of all the present popular modes of 
rapid transit. Think of it! Our great- grandpar- 
ents never saw a bicycle, an automobile, a street- 
car, a steamboat or steamship, or a railroad train. 
W. E. Blackstone, in October, '97, said, "Last year 
the number of passengers on the railroads of this 



278 The Blessed Hope. 

country was 535,120,756, and the mileage was 13,- 
054,840,243; and in the whole world the number of 
passengers was 12,304,000,000, and the mileage was 
28,677,000,000." This takes no account of travel 
by other modes of conveyance, such as ships, 
boats, etc., private and public, all of which, when 
combined, doubtless equal or exceed the above 
figures. 

And these figures are nearly four years old. If 
brought right down to this date we have no doubt 
they would be largely increased. One hun- 
dred years ago a speed of eight or ten miles per 
hour was about the best that could be made. Now 
the best railroad lines will carry you eight hundred 
miles in a day, and give you time for sight-seeing 
at principal cities. In some rare instances they 
have been known to make more than seventy-five 
miles an hour on short runs. When the railroad 
was first invented men who posed as philosophers 
and logicians argued that a speed of twenty miles 
per hour was impossible, and, should it be attained, 
the result would be disastrous to human life. I 
have myself traveled at the rate of sixty miles an 
hour, not only free from injury, but with comfort 
and pleasure. Without posing as a prophet, the 
writer will venture to suggest that a speed of from 
one to two hundred miles per hour will be attained 
within the next twenty years, and a successful air- 
ship is looked upon as one of the possibilities of 
the near future. I well remember when a boy in 
Texas the interest I felt in any one who had trav- 
eled. To meet a person who had been in the great 
city of New York was a treat to my boyish mind, 



Signs of His Coming. 279 



and many were the questions with which I plied 
him. In recent years my own experience has sat- 
isfied my longing for travel to some extent, having 
preached in twenty States of the Union. Men who^ 
have been to Europe and Asia, and even around the) 
world, are more common to me now than those 
were who had seen New York City in the tender 
years of my youth 

A peculiar feature in connection with the increase 
of knowledge is the fact that so many inventions 
and other indications of, and facilities for, the in- 
crease of information and general improvement- 
have been crowded into a single century. Thought- 
ful readers can readily make a very profitable re- 
view of the past century on this line. We would 
scarcely know how to "get along" if we were to 
lose in one night the inventions of the last ten 
decades. For general travel we would be confined 
to the stagecoach and the sailing vessel. A letter 
would require two months to cross the continent, 
and the cost of transmission would be twenty-five 
cents. The century has given us the railroad, the 
steamboat, the ocean-liner, the street-car, the au- 
tomobile, the bicycle, the telegraph and telephone, 
the phonograph and wireless telegraphy, the rapid 
printing press, the linotype, the mower, reaper 
and threshing machine, the X-ray, the photo- 
graphic camera, the sewing-machine, together with 
the modern rapid methods of spinning, knitting 
and weaving. As to lights, in George Washing- 
ton's day they used tallow candles, such as the 
writer and many of his readers have helped 
their mothers or grandmothers make. The elec- 



280 The Blessed Hope. 

trie light, and even the kerosene lamp and the gas 
jet came within the century. Time would fail us 
to go into further details. The records at the pat- 
ent office at Washington have already passed the 
six hundred thousandth mile post. 

A noticeable feature in connection with this is 
that these inventions have all been launched upon 
the world in so short a time. Why should they not 
have been gradually developed? Why might not 
the world have had the street-car a thousand years 
ago, the steamboat nine hundred years since, the 
railroad train five hundred years agone? But no; 
God reserved this increase of knowledge, and of 
travel, with improved modes of travel, and this 
running "to and fro" for our day, and has foretold 
by His prophet Daniel that these things mark the 
"time of the end." 

But let us turn to another phase of this increase 
of knowledge, namely, the increased study and 
growing understanding of God's Word. Manifest- 
ly some portions of the prophecies were couched 
in such language as to seal them until, in the 
progress of events, a key to their solution should 
be given by the facts, and the history of the times 
should indicate somewhat of their fulfillment. For 
illustration see Isaiah (7:14) and Micah (5:2). These 
refer to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, and the 
virginity of His mother. Now these were neces- 
sarily clouded and obscure till their fulfillment. 
With the New Testament before us we have no 
difficulty with them. In like manner, many proph- 
ecies concerning our Lord's coming to the King- 
dom are opening to this generation by the unfolding 



Signs of His Coming. 281 

of the prophetic scroll through the developments 
of history. As we have elsewhere suggested, the 
books relating to prophecy and the second advent 
of Christ which have been produced in recent years 
are throwing a flood of light upon this question. 
Thus the mysteries of prophecy are being unsealed, 
and Daniel says that such shall be only at the ' 'time 
of the end." 

We have also spoken of the general increase of 
knowledge. But let us glance at it for a moment 
again, giving some attention to details and differ- 
ent phases of the subject. Four centuries ago 
even kings were sometimes unable to write their 
names. Books were rare, and very costly. Edu- 
cation was confined to the favored few, while the 
masses remained, and contentedly so, in densest 
ignorance. Now, how different! A fair education 
is in the reach of the poorest, while men of mod- 
erate means can put an entire family through a 
collegiate if not a university course. He who can 
not read and write is a back number. Boys ten 
years of age, if bright and studious, often enjoy a 
better education than mature men of two centuries 
ago. Universities are in reach, colleges numerous, 
academies plentiful and common schools abound. 
But an education secured within the four w T alls of 
a schoolroom is narrow and technical. The spirit 
of the times will impart a fund of information to 
an inquiring mind, even though he be deprived of 
the technical advantages of the schools. The so- 
cial atmosphere is favorable to education. Even 
sluggish heathenism is yawning and rubbing its 
eyes over the books. Travel is a fruitful source of 



282 TJie Blessed Hope. 

the truest and best social and mental culture. The 
telegraph has brought the ends of the earth to- 
gether, and the morning newspaper lays the world 
of yesterday at your doors. We have harnessed 
the lightning, and thereby left the sun in the rear. 
At 6 o'clock a.m. we can read the happenings of 8 
o'clock the same day in Europe. I was in Syra- 
cuse, N. Y., the day Queen Victoria died. At 5 
o'clock p.m. we were reading the incidents about 
her dying couch at 7 o'clock the same evening. 
The electric courier had ridden the wire horse 
across the Atlantic Ocean ahead of the sun by two 
hours. The Indian said, ' 'White man too smart. 
God make ice only in winter time, but white man 
make it in summer." Our inventions remind one 
of the Indian's remark. The increase of knowl- 
edge heralds the King's approach. 
(10) Flaming Chariots. 

"The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant 
men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with naming torches 
in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terri- 
bly shaken. 

"The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall jus tie 
one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like 
torches, they shall run like the lightnings" (Nahum 2:3,4). 

I venture to suggest that the "mighty men" rep- 
resented by the red shields may stand for the Sal- 
vation Army. This may be fancy. Be that as it 
may, there has been no mightier movement for the 
uplift of men since days Apostolic. Though its 
founder is yet a living man (but 72 years of age 
April 9th), a million of souls are shouting around 
the throne of God in heaven, or on their way there, 



Signs of His Coming. 283 

because of the work of this peculiar and God-hon- 
ored people (1 Pet. 2:9; Prov. 11:30; Dan. 12:3). 

But it is of the raging chariots and flaming torches 
that we wish to speak particularly. There is no 
doubt in the writer's mind that the reference here 
is to the thundering express, by which the fir trees 
are terribly shaken, the electric headlights of 
which flash out like a midnight sun. And the rag- 
ing of the chariots in the streets is fully illustrated 
by the numerous street-cars in any great city. 
Standing on a street corner in Louisville some 
months ago I saw twenty-five cars moving in various 
directions, all visible at one time. The rapid speed 
of these cars is indicated by the expression, ' 'They 
run like the lightnings. 5 ' This scripture was in 
other days a confusion to commentators, but since 
the appearance of the "cannon ball," the "limited 
vestibule," the "lightning express" and the electric 
car the passage is luminous. It is amusing now 
to read the efforts of commentators of the olden 
days to give an exposition of this prophecy. It 
only remains to observe that it finds its fulfillment, 
"In the day of his preparation." Already the 
armies of the skies are ready, the chariots bur- 
nished, and the harness adjusted, while the fiery 
steeds are pawing the gold -paved streets. At a 
word the magnificent retinue will pass out of the 
pearly gates and the world shall see and own its 
Conqueror. 

(11) The Decay of False Systems. 

Not only has Christianity faced earth's hoary 
heathenism, but it has had to grapple with the fierce, 
red-handed system of the False Prophet, as also 



284 The Blessed Hope. 

the corruptions and superstitions of the great Ro- 
man apostasy. With fire and sword Mohammed 
attempted to overrun all Christian lands. The 
first great set-back the forces of the false prophet 
received was in the battle of Tours, A. D. 732, 
when Charles Martel defeated them in a decisive 
engagement. Again, they were driven back from 
their final great effort to crush Christianity by the 
troops of John Sobieski, in 1683. Since this date 
Mohammedanism has been on the wane. One na- 
tion after another has been wrenched from her 
cruel grasp until, like a dying vulture, this bloody 
system of hate, error and falsehood is standing at 
the crumbling edge of its grave on the banks of 
the Bosphorus. The "false prophet," depicted in 
the book of Revelation, is an attendant of the 
"beast." They flourish side by side, and together 
they perish. The "little horn" mentioned by 
Daniel (7:21) was to "wear out the saints" till the 
coming of the Son of man in the clouds, when 
the kingdom should be given to the saints of the 
Most High (Dan. 7:13-27). This little horn is sup- 
posed by some to refer to Mohammedanism, by 
others to Romanism. It certainly has reference to 
one of them, and it is, according to the predic- 
tion, to continue till the appearing of the Son of 
man, when the saints take the kingdom. These 
systems of error and falsehood have paralleled 
each other for more than twelve centuries, but 
thanks be to God their decay is evident, their end 
at hand. In the name of Christianity the Romish 
hierarchy has burned its multitudes at the stake, 
and by the most hellish ingenuity has endeavored 



Signs of His Coming. 285 

to wipe godliness from the face of the earth. * 
Bear in mind my chapter on Prophecy Twofold. 
While Romanism and Mohammedanism may an- 
swer to the requirements of these prophetic de- 
scriptions through many long years, there may 
be also a personal manifestation of the beast and 
the false prophet in the Tribulation times. 

I do not care at this place to enter into a discus- 
sion of the chronological prophecies, but suffice it 
to say there is an important date period quite fre- 
quently mentioned in Daniel and Revelation and 
variously described as a "time, times and a half 
time," "forty- two months," "a thousand two hun- 
dred and three-score days," etc. (Dan. 12:7; Rev. 
11:2,3; 12:6; 13:5). According to the day for a 
year method of interpretation this period would 
represent twelve hundred and sixty years. Now 
we know, as a matter of fact, that the greatest 
strength of Romanism and also of Mohammedan- 
ism has been displayed in a period of about this 
length. The rise in each case was so gradual that 
no man might definitely drive down a stake and 
say, "Here it began;" in like manner the decline 
has been gradual. The metes and bounds may be 
hard to define, but it is easy to determine that the life 
proper of these systems of error is about of this 
duration. They have both been dying by inches 
for the past two or three centuries, and their end is 
at hand. The writer does not commit himself to 
the year for a day theory, but he does believe that 
it has a strong probability of truth. According to 

* See my book, "The Danger Signal." 



286 TJie Blessed Hope. 

views set forth on the twofold nature of prophecy, 
I believe the literal interpretation may be correct, 
and yet not vitiate the symbolic mode of explana- 
tion — the day for a year method. While Romanism 
and Mohammedanism were doubtless pictured in 
these periods, yet we have no doubt there shall 
appear a literal Antichrist, accompanied by a false 
prophet, who shall hold sway for just three and a 
half years. The decay of these false systems in- 
dicates a dissolution of the present order, and 
points to an early advent of the Messiah, and 
the inauguration of the Millennial era. The whole 
thing maybe but thebudding of the Jig tree, denoting 
approach of spring; the fig tree sign given by the 
Master. 

(12) Restoration of the Jews. 

While we have some chapters on this subject, 
yet there are certain phases we wish to introduce 
at this place. These days belong to the time of 
vengeance against the Jews. The Master says: 

"And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall 
be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be 
trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles 
be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). 

We have seen them cut down by the edge of the 
sword and led away captive into the nations. All 
history attests the truth of the prediction. How 
long shall Jerusalem be trodden down? The day 
of pre-eminent wrath is at its close. The time of 
Israel's oppression has its limit. How long was it 
to continue? Until the "times of the Gentiles 
shall be fulfilled." Then what? The oppression 
shall cease, and the Master shall appear. 



Signs of His Coming. 287 

"Arid then shall they see the Son of man coming in a 
cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:27). 

When does the Son of man come? When the 
times of the Gentiles shall have been fulfilled and 
the treading down of Israel shall have ceased. Has 
the reader studied the condition of the Jews? Is 
he familiar with the rapid improvements now going 
on in Jerusalem and throughout Palestine. If 
not, note the following: There are more Jews in 
Jerusalem to-day than at any time since its over- 
throw by the armies of Titus. A railroad now 
runs from Joppa to Jerusalem, and others are being 
built and surveyed through different parts of Pales- 
tine. Cities are springing up as if by magic. 
The rains so necessary for the fertility of the soil, 
and which have been so long withheld under the 
divine curse, are being restored, there being an 
annual increase of rainfall. God's promise to re- 
store "the early and latter rain" is being fulfilled. 

It is said that Baron Rothschild holds a mortgage 
over Palestine against the Turkish government. I 
am not prepared to vouch for the truth of this 
statement, but when we remember the depleted 
condition of the Turkish treasury, and recall the 
fact that the Rothschilds are the greatest money- 
lenders of the world, the statement does not seem 
unreasonable. When this mortgage is foreclosed, 
Palestine will belong to the Jews. Its foreclosure 
is simply a matter of time. 

The history of the Jews was written by their 
prophets long, long ago. It is the most trustworthy 
of all history. It will be fulfilled to the last iota. 
Their oppressions will end; their cities will be re- 



288 TJie Blessed Hope. 

built; their government restored, and the Carpenter 
of Nazareth, as written over His cross, shall be 
known to the world and acknowledged by them as 
1 'KING OF THE JEWS. " When will all this take 
place? AtHiscoming. He has promised to "return " 
and rebuild the tabernacle of David which has 
fallen down. If their casting away be the recon- 
ciling of the world, what will their receiving be but 
life from the dead? They are under judicial blind- 
ness now, but their light shall come, when the time 
of the Gentiles is fulfilled, and so all Israel shall 
J>e saved (Rom. 11:15,25,26). Following their re- 
covery the residue of men will seek after the Lord 
(Acts 15:16,17). Their leaders are planning already 
for the repopulation of their ancient country. The 
Zionist movement points that way. Every ship 
sailing thitherward bears some of the elect but 
despised people. The day of their triumph is at 
hand, though it shall be ushered in by one of the 
darkest hours in their checkered history. The 
advent of their King, and ours, draweth near. 
' 'When ye see these things coming to pass, know 
ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." 
(13) Missions. 

' 'And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all 
the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the 
end come" (Matt. 24:14). 

The Gospel as a "witness" for all nations is the 
scope of this promise. Their conversion is not 
even hinted under the present regime, but the 
gospel shall call out from among them a people for 
His name. What next? But few words are need- 
ed to answer our question; the Master gave them. 



Signs of His Coming. 289 

"Then cometh the end." Nothing here to justify 
a magniloquent display of oratorical fire-works, so 
common at our Leagues, Conferences, Endeavor 
Conventions, etc. Simply the gospel for a witness 
to all nations. Then, O how solemn! then cometh 
the end. Now, what headway are we making to- 
ward this end? Study the missionary movements 
of the past century, especially the latter part of it. 
Heralds of the Cross are sailing over all seas, and 
planting the standard of Immanuel in all lands. 
Every church worthy the name has its missions, 
and they are continually increasing their contribu- 
tions, and the number of their representatives in 
the field. 

Not only are the churches manifesting an in- 
creased interest, and putting forth new life along 
this line, but God is getting in such haste to have 
His Son crowned King of the nations that He is 
calling and commissioning both men and women to 
enter the mission-field on the Apostolic lines of 
faith and self-support. The independent mission 
movements of our times are about to eclipse in 
Apostolic power and simplicity the operations of 
the church societies. What do the hundreds of 
missionaries sent out by J. Hudson Taylor, H. 
Grattan Guinness, A. B. Simpson, Manie Payne 
Ferguson and Bishop Wm, Taylor mean? They 
are but stars in the East, harbingers of the glorious 
coming day. 

Less than fifty years ago (1853) Commodore Perry 
first opened the doors of Japan to the civilized 
world. Until recently for a Christian to set foot 
on the soil of Corea or Thibet meant certain death. 

19 



590 The Blessed Hope. 

Other nations were as cruel and as thoroughly 
■closed to the gospel as these. But to-day all lands 
;are open, the gates practically taken from their 
linges, and the world is welcoming the missionary. 
He is already on the field of action, or en route. 
"The gospel is permeating the islands of the sea 
and revolutionizing, the nations of the earth. 
Already gleams of light divine shoot athwart the 
Eastern skies. The signs foretelling* the coming of 
the King are not simply thirteen, as here listed, 
Tbut they are legion. Let every sinner repent, every 
"backslider return, and every child of the King don 
his armor. Let every virgin be wise, with lamps 
brightly burning and oil in the vessel. The trumpet 
is sounding. O hear the midnight cry, "Behold 
the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him." 



Question Department 291 



Question Department. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

(1) What is the meaning of "They all slumbered 
and slept?" The general loss of interest in His 
coming is, perhaps, what is meant. It also indi- 
cates the midnight condition of the world — its gen- 
eral darkness and apathy toward spiritual things. 
In the midst of such conditions even the wise vir- 
gins fall asleep. There is not that keen, intense, 
wide-awake interest in His coming which should 
characterize watchers. It is said they all slept — 
or rather became drowsy, nodded. 

(2) Will there be opportunity for the conversion 
of sinners after Jesus comes? 

Certainly. It is following His return that "the 
residue of men seek after the Lord" (Acts 15:17. 
See alsolsa. 2:2-4). 

(3) If Jesus is the same as when He went away, 
will He not love everybody and desire to save all, 
not condemning the world, but laboring to save and 
purify it? If so, should not everybody desire His 
coming, even sinners? 

While He is the same Jesus (Acts 1:9-11), yet He 
is represented in the Word as a Lamb (John 1:29), 
and also as a Lion (Rev. 5:5). We have only thus 
far seen the love side of His nature; but at His re- 
turn the ungodly who have rejected Him will beg 
for rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide 



292 The Blessed Hope. 

them from His face, for it is "the great day of His 
wrath" (Rev. 6 :15-17). Men who have rejected Him 
shall mourn and wail (Rev. 1:7), and shrink with 
terror from beholding Him. While we believe very 
strongly in the conversion of the world after His 
coming, yet it is very doubtful whether any who 
have had the light of the gospel and rejected 
it will live through the great tribulation, or taste 
His mercy and His love. Grace will be extended, 
but chiefly, if not exclusively, to those who have not 
enjoyed the blessings of gospel light in the pres- 
ent dispensation. "Apostate Christendom, being 
destroyed, and the believing church translated at 
Christ's coming, there will remain Israel and the 
heathen world, constituting the majority of men 
then alive, which, from not having come into close 
contact with the gospel, have not incurred the guilt 
of rejecting it. These will be the subjects of a 
general conversion" (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 
on Rev. 20:6). 

(4) If the work of salvation continues after 
Jesus comes, will it not give men of that age an 
advantage over those of previous times, and indi- 
cate a partiality on God's part? 

Such as live in the Millennial dispensation cer- 
tainly will have an advantage over the people of 
this age, as we have over those of preceding ages. 
We have advantages to-day over China, Japan and 
other heathen lands; our opportunities are better 
than the Jews had before the first advent; they also 
had opportunities not offered to the surrounding 
nations, and not enjoyed by the antediluvians. 
This, however, does not argue partiality with God. 



Question Department, 293 

It simply shows that He is utilizing every agency 
to restore the race, and that He avails Himself of 
every opportunity to bring men up to better things. 

(5) If the opportunity of salvation for those who 
have rejected light ceases with the return of Jesus, 
how can the ready ones desire His immediate 
coming, knowing that it would forever cut off even 
their own loved ones? 

(a) Because they love Him more than any earthly 
one, and they know that His glory is at stake, for 
His rights are being trampled upon, (b) They 
know this crisis will have to be made in the end 
with others, if not their own immediate friends, 
(c) They see also it will be better for the world as 
a whole. If multitudes are perishing while He 
tarries who may be brought to a knowledge of Him 
after His return, it seems better that He should 
come, even though a smaller number should be for- 
ever cut off. Paul said, "I could wish that myself 
were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my 
kinsmen according to the flesh" (Rom. 9:3). So 
great is the advantage of having many saved, even 
at the sacrifice of the few. They who love Him 
truly are constrained to join with the holy Seer 
of Patmos, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 
22:20). 

(6) Will the judgment referred to in Matt. 25 
occur at the coming of Jesus, immediately, or at 
the end of the thousand years' reign? 

As to this, writers differ. Some say this is only 
the judgment of the living nations, and that it 
occurs immediately after Christ takes the throne. 
But to me this view seems untenable, because the 



294 Tfie Blessed Hope. 

issues in each case are final and eternal. I believe 
it has reference to the great white throne judgment 
at the end of the thousand years. If the objector 
replies, "But this separation takes place when he 
comes," I answer, When I go to my next appoint- 
ment I will likely preach a sermon on the judg- 
ment, but I have no idea of delivering this discourse 
on the hour of my arrival. It is simply a part of 
the work to be done in connection with the meeting. 
So this judgment scene is connected with the coming 
of Christ, though, like with many other things, it 
does not necessarily occur on the day of His 
arrival. 

(7) What judgment is meant in 2 Tim. 4:1, "He 
shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing 
and kingdom?" 

This is the whole scheme of dealing with men, 
both the living and the dead. Christ, when He 
comes will reign over the living, and will administer 
righteous laws with them. He will also at the end 
of the thousand years call up the nations of the 
dead and pass sentence upon them. The word 
(Jcata) rendered "at" in the text is sometimes trans- 
lated "according to," also "by." This word is also 
rendered "after" in Heb. 7:11, 15-17). The mean- 
ing is that He will judge them according to the 
principles of His Kingdom. See the Greek. 

(8) Explain Dan. 12:2. Why is the word "many" 
used instead of "all?" 

This is a strong proof-text for the doctrine of a 
"first" resurrection; many are then raised. And 
these participate in the joys of eternal life, but 
those who remain for a subsequent resurrection shall 



Question Department. 295 

be called forth finally to the judgment of condem- 
nation. (See chapter on the Resurrection). 

(9) When shall the final judgment come? 
At the end of the thousand years (Rev. 20). 

(10) Will the great tribulation come before the 
Millennium? If so, what is the meaning of Rev. 
20:7,8? 

Certainly, the tribulation will come first (Matt. 
24:21,29,31; Rev. 19:17-21). The passage you refer 
to describes the final apostasy which the devil suc- 
ceeds in bringing about at the end of the Millen- 
nium? 

(11) At the coming of Christ, shall all those who 
have died Christians, or only those who have died 
sanctified, be raised? (1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 20:1,5,6). 

I believe only the sanctified will be raised at the 
coming of Jesus, but that raises another question, 
Does any one die converted and not wholly sancti- 
fied? It would seem that all who are true to Jesus in 
the experience of regeneration, who do not backslide 
from it, will be sanctified even at the hour of death 
— though not by death. However, Paul (Phil. 3: 
11-15), speaks of striving if by any means he might 
attain unto a resurrection which is out from among 
the dead. (See the Greek). If he, with all his 
knowledge of the Christ, felt it required that he 
strain every nerve for this first resurrection, the 
rest of us surely have no reason for sloth or indif- 
ference touching the case. It behooves us to be as 
holy as Christ can make us, lest we fail of the first 
resurrection. 

(12) Is there more Scripture to prove the Pre* 
millennial view than the Post-millennial? 



296 The Blessed Hope. 

According to this question, the Bible is a divided 
book, part of it teaching one thing, the remainder 
another. The Bible is either wholly Pre-millennial 
or wholly Post-millennial. It is consistent with 
itself. From my point of view, there is just as 
much foundation for a sinning religion in the word 
of God as for Post-millennialism. For proof I 
submit 4his book. 

(13) Will all the world know when Christ comes 
for His Bride? If not, explain 1 Thess. 4:16. 

I do not think the world will see Him when He 
comes for His Bride? The cry is likely heard only 
by the virgins. But in the reference given it is 
said the Lord will descend ''with a shout." True. 
But may not this shout have the same effect as 
when Paul was stricken on the highway? He alone 
understood it. As the rest of the dead will not 
hear when He calls up His sleeping saints, so the 
living may be deaf to the trumpet's sound. The 
world will see Him first after the rapture, when He 
brings His saints with Him. At least, so it would 
seem, but we do not wish to dogmatize on such 
points. 

(14) Will there be no resurrection of the unjust 
until the end of the millennial age? 

In John's description of the last times we read, 
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first 
resurrection;" "but the rest of the dead lived not 
again till the thousand years were finished" (Rev. 
20:5,6). 

(15) When Christ and His Bride are in the upper 
air, and after they have descended to reign on the 
earth, where will the remainder of the saved be? 



Question Department. 297 

If they are not ready for the Rapture they will 
continue in the flesh, and many of them will doubt- 
less perish in the great tribulation. In Revelation 
we read of those who come up to heaven through 
great tribulation, having washed their robes and 
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. The 
literal rendering might be, and is so given by some 
translators, "These are they which came up 
out of THE GREAT TRIBULATION." Not 
simply any tribulation or sorrow, but emphatically 
the great tribulation (Rev. 7:14). 

(16) When Christ and His Bride descend to earth 
to take possession thereof, will all evil have per- 
ished from it? 

Certainly not. He will reign over the nations, 
correcting their errors, reproving their sins. In 
Zech. 14 we read of the Lord taking possession of 
the earth and reigning over it, and of how He will 
punish the heathen who are disobedient. 

(17) Will mortal and immortal dwell together 
during the thousand years' reign of Christ on 
earth? 

Yes; the mortal being the subject class, and the 
immortal the reigning ones. It is concerning the 
time after the Lord comes that God, speaking by 
the prophet, says, "Then the heathen that are left 
round about you shall know that I the Lord will 
build the ruined places, and plant that that was 
desolate" (Ezek. 36:36). 

(18) If the earth is still to be the habitation of 
mortal man, what will be his condition and his re- 
lation to Christ? 

If obedient, life will be greatly lengthened, and 



298 The Blessed Hope. 

every condition made favorable to his happiness; 
if disobedient, he will die under the curse of God 
(Isa. 65:20-25). As to his relation, it will be- that 
of a subject to his king and lord. 

(19) If the reckoning with the servants intrusted 
with the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) refers to the 
judgment of saints for reward after the Rapture, 
what does verse 30 mean? Where, and what, is 
the outer darkness into which the unprofitable 
servant is cast? Would not this involve a simulta- 
neous resurrection of the wicked with the just? 

There are three lines of thought within which we 
can answer this question: (a) It may be the judg- 
ment of the living only, as the parallel passage in 
Luke 19 manifestly is. Here we read: 

"But those mine enemies, which would not that I should 
reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me" 
(Luke 19:27). 

You could not "slay" the dead, and his enemies 
were to be slain, while his servants were to be 
"judged." We know there are many who are 
servants rather than sons in the house of God. 
There is an Esau along with Jacob; an Ishmael 
side by side with Isaac. Might not the Rapture be 
for those represented by Isaac and Jacob, while the 
judgment of the servants is for the Ishmaels and 
Esaus? 

(b) Or this may be the general judgment 
at the end of the chiliad. Then both good 
and bad alike shall stand before God in judgment, 
save those who were prepared to share in the joys 
of the Rapture. This brings up another question, 
previously discussed, namely, are all who die con- 



Question Department, 299 

verted, not having been previously sanctified, 
ready to share in the first resurrection? Perhaps 
they are not; and this is their judgment in the 
great and final reckoning. But there is one thing 
to bear in mind, not all servants are reckoned with 
the Bride. In the Nobleman's house there are 
many trustworthy servants, but they are not his 
wife, and do not in any wise rank with her. So in 
the house of the Master there may be many de- 
grees between the Bride and the servants. 

(c) Yet again we would answer that ' 'one day with 
the Lord is as a thousand years," and this is spoken, 
with reference to the judgment (2 Pet. 3:8). Now, 
what is the Millennium? Simply a judgment day, 
a period of one thousand years in which God is 
dealing with men, both living and dead. In the 
passage under consideration the unprofitable ser- 
vant is brought in as the last on the docket. The 
faithful have all been dealt with before he is called- 
They may have been raised at the beginning for 
their rewards, and he at the end of the thousand 
years for his sentence. I have given this answer 
from three different points of view. In any one of 
which it will be seen that there is no necessary con- 
flict with the doctrine of the first resurrection. 

(20) If verses 31-46 of Matt. 25 refer to the 
judgment of the living nations, and not to the 
great white throne judgment of Rev. 20, what is 
the "coming" there mentioned, and what the pun- 
ishment? Are all unsaved individuals of these 
nations cast at once into hell fire? 

While some maintain that this is the judgment 
of the living nations, I incline to the opinion, as 



300 The Blessed Hope. 

elsewhere expressed, that it is the judgment of the 
great white throne, at the end of the Millennium. 
That it does refer to this judgment is shown by the 
following facts: (a) Those placed to the right are 
sheep, those to the left goats. Thus a fundamental 
difference of character is recognized, (b) Those 
upon the right are obedient to their Lord, which im- 
plies that they are all saved, as is also implied in the 
fact that they are all sheep, (c) Those upon the left 
are consigned to punishment. There is to them no 
hope of future salvation. No grace is extended, no 
opportunity offered, their doom is sealed, (d) This 
shows that final punishment is coeval with reward. 
Henceforth there is no change of character on either 
side of the line. To consider this as the judgment 
of the living nations at the beginning of the 
thousand years would cut off all possible oppor- 
tunity of salvation for those upon the left. 
This would conflict with many Scriptures. For 
illustration: Zech. 8:7,8,13, 20-22; 12:7,8,10; 13:1; 
14:16; Acts 15:14-17; Rom. 11:12,15. The world 
gets its regeneration, its life from the dead, at the 
restoration of Israel, which occurs when He "re- 
turns." If it be objected that this judgment takes 
place when the Son of man shall come in His glory, 
we answer. Yes, but it occurs in the evening of 
that day (which is a thousand years), and not at its 
beginning. 

(21) Can a man be filled with the Holy Spirit and 
ready for Christ's coming while connected with 
secret societies? 

I am not an authority on such questions, and 
must necessarily leave a man to his God. My con- 



Question Department. 301 

science is for my own use, and not for the guidance 
of other men. I am, however, very free to say 
that I do not think it best for Christian men to be 
identified with worldly and Christless associations 
of any kind, David says "The secret of the Lord 
is with them that fear God" (Psa. 25:14). This is 
the only secret society to which I belong. Christ 
is the Grand Worshipful Master, the Holy Spirit 
the Grand Secretary and Initiator. Our object to 
glorify God and do men good. 

(22) What is a man to do who feels unmistakably 
called to preach, and sees the need of workers, but 
his church refuses him a license? 

This question does not come within the scope of 
this book, but I will venture to suggest: (a) He may 
not have proven himself worthy of a license. Let 
him consider the advisability of a clean, honest 
acknowledgment of past faults, (b) Or he may 
not be qualified. His education may be so thor- 
oughly deficient that his church considers him in- 
competent to instruct the people. The call to 
preach implies a call to prepare. In this case he 
should make diligent application to his studies, 
that he may be qualified for an efficient ministry. 
As a general rule, churches are glad to license a 
man who is well prepared to accomplish anything 
for God and the church. In case the license is 
refused on the question of holiness, or freedom 
in service, it may be best to change church rela- 
tions, and enter a body where these questions are 
not made a bar to the ministry. But this should 
only be the last resort. 

(23) Where are those, and what is their condition, 



302 TJie Blessed Hope. 



who have passed away, from the time of their death 
till the coming of Christ? 

Paul teaches us that to be "absent from the 
body is to be present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). 
This, of course, has reference only to Christians. 
John saw the souls of the martyrs under the 
altar crying to God to avenge them of their mur- 
derers (Rev. 6:10). The wicked, on the other hand, 
are in the flames of torment, as may be clearly 
seen in the case of the rich man who was in 
hell, while his brethren were living in the flesh 
(Luke 16:22-28). This, of course, is only the con- 
dition of the soul. The resurrection is for the body. 
After it takes place the destiny is eternal. 

(24) Do others, especially preachers and writers 
of eminence, agree with you on the coming of Christ 
and the twofold resurrection? 

As we show in our chapter on Uninspired Wit- 
nesses the view advocated in this book was held by 
all the early Christians, prevailing for the first 
three centuries. It also numbers among its adhe- 
rents many of the brightest lights in the religious 
world to-day, especially those who are noted re- 
vivalists, missionaries and workers along the lines 
of the higher spiritual life. I believe it can be 
safely said that nearly all those who are noted 
soul- winners, and who rank as pre- eminent in 
works of faith, are advocates of the near coming of 
Christ. Of course there are some exceptions; some 
lovely characters, some efficient revivalists, who 
reject the hope of His early advent; but I do not 
know of any who are widely known, who have na- 
tional or international reputation, such as Spur- 



Question Department. 303 

geon, Moody, George Mueller and others of their 
type, but are Premillennialists. 

C. C. Mcintosh, the author of many widely-read 
books, speaking of John 5:28,29, says: "Here, then, 
we have indicated in the most unmistakable terms 
the two resurrections. True, they are not distin- 
guished as to time, in this passage; but they are as 
to character. We have a life resurrection, and a 
judgment resurrection, and nothing can be more dis- 
tinct than these. There is no possible ground here 
on which to build the theory of a promiscuous res- 
urrection. The resurrection of believers will be 
eclectic; it will be on the same principle, and par- 
take of the same character, as the resurrection of 
our blessed and adorable Lord; it will be a resur- 
rection from among the dead. It will be an act of 
divine power, founded upon accomplished redemp- 
tion, whereby God will interpose on behalf of His 
sleeping saints, and raise them up from among the 
dead, leaving the rest of the dead in their graves 
for a thousand years" (Rev. 20:5). 

The same writer also calls attention to the trans- 
figuration as recorded by Mark, and notes the fact 
that as Christ and His disciples descended from the 
Mount He cautioned them to not mention the 
scenes they had witnessed until the Son of man 
should be risen from among the dead. Mark adds, 
"And they kept that saying among themselves, 
questioning one with another, what the rising from 
among the dead should mean" (Mark 9:10, Greek). 

The disciples were not the only ones who were 
ever astonished at the doctrine of a resurrection 
"out from among the dead." 



304 Tfie Blessed Rope. 

(25) Is the resurrection for the body only, or for 
the soul? 

There is no resurrection of spirits since they 
never die? "It is of no use to speak of the resur- 
rection of spirits. Indeed it is a manifest piece of 
absurdity; for inasmuch as spirits cannot die, 
they cannot be raised from the dead. Equally ab- 
surd is it to speak of a resurrection of principles 
(C. H. Mcintosh). . 

(26) Is not the coming of Christ to take us from 
the earth, rather than to reign with us on it? His 
people do indeed rise to meet Him in the air, and 
they are then to be ' 'forever with the Lord. " He 
also said, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if 
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, 
and receive you unto myself; that where I am, 
there ye may be also" (John 14:3). His people will 
be with Him, but this does not necessarily imply 
that He and they leave the earth. We are told 
plainly, "They shall reign with Him on the earth" 
(Rev. 5;10; 20:4,6). Furthermore, we see the city 
of God coming down out of heaven, while the an- 
nouncement is made, "Behold the Tabernacle of 
God is with men, and He will dwell with them" 
(Rev. 21:3). 

It is evident that during the reign of Christ on 
earth there will be an intimate connection between 
this world and heaven. No doubt, the saints of 
God will pass freely and easily from the one world 
to the other as the angels now do. 

(27) Is is not in the gospel dispensation that 
"they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, 
and their spears into pruninghooks?" (Isa. 2:4). 



Question Department. 305 

No, that occurs after "The day of the Lord of 
Hosts" (Verse 12). "When the loftiness of man 
shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men 
shall be laid low; and the idols he shall utterly 
abolish. " All this occurs, "When he ariseth to- 
shake terribly the earth" (verses 17-19). These 
things identify this period with the coming of the 
Lord, and the great scenes of judgment attendant 
upon it. 

(28) Is the coming of the Lord "As a thief" to 
take the church by surprise, or simply the world? 

To all the world and the backslidden church, His 
coming will be a great surprise, finding them total- 
ly unprepared; but to one of his churches Paul 
wrote: 

' 'But ye, brethren , are not in darkness, that that day should 
overtake you as a thief" (1 Thess. 5:4). 

To all the ho]y ones, to those who are sanctified, 
filled with the Spirit, waiting and watching for His 
glorious appearing, there can be no surprise; rather 
His coming will be a source of abounding joy, 
praise the Lord. They will be watching, with 
lamps trimmed and burning, and will hail His ap- 
pearing with great delight. 

But the Master in a note of warning to the church 
of Sardis says: "If therefore thou shalt not watch, 
I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not 
know what hour I will come upon thee" (Rev. 3:3). 

(29) Will those born then who continue in sin die 
under one hundred years of age? 

It would seem from the passage to which I have 
referred you, that men will be allowed a century 

20 



306 The Blessed Hope. 

in which to become Christians, but the sinner at 
one hundred years of age will be cut off. 

(30) When will those born during the Millennium 
change their mortal bodies for immortality? 

It would seem that at the time the elements melt 
from prevailing heat, at the close of the thousand 
years, all those who have proven faithful to Christ, 
having not fallen away when Satan was turned 
loose, will be translated and transferred by some 
means, like Noah's Ark, for instance, into the new 
earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

(31) Please explain the doctrine of predestination 
set forth in Romans 8:28-30. 

Your question is difficult. The writer does not 
claim to have mastered the subjects of election and 
predestination. I think, however, the solution may 
be found in a proper understanding of the coming 
of Christ. We are at present in the church age. 
It is a period for the calling of the Gentiles. In 
other words, the dispensation of election. You find 
nothing about predestination in the Old Testament. 
It is a New Testament doctrine. This is the age for 
the selection of the Bride of the Lamb. The word 
rendered "purpose" (v. 28) is prothesin, which 
means arrangement or plan. The thought then is, 
that according to the plan of the ages, the arrange- 
ment of the dispensations, this one is devoted to 
the selection of the church, as a composite body, 
made up of holy individuals from the nations. This 
is not an unconditional election and reprobation, 
such as is sometimes taught, but it is dependent on 
the volition of the individual. He calls all. "Look 
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the 



Question Department. 307 

earth." "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no 
wise cast out" (Isaiah 45:22; John 6:37). But while 
many are called, few are chosen, because, as the 
Master said to the Jews, "Ye will not come unto 
me. that ye may have life" (John 5:40). 

I trust my questioner and others of like mind 
will read Cameron's very helpful little book, en- 
titled, "The Doctrine of the Ages." Price 60 cents, 
this office. 

(32) What are the conditions to be met by the 
bride before the Bridegroom comes? 

The same as any other bride preparing for her 
marriage. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give 
honor to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb is 
come, and his wife hath made herself ready" (Rev. 
19:7). 

As St. John saw her she was arrayed in fine 
linen, clean and white. She must be clothed in the 
beautiful garments of holiness. 

(33) When Christ leaves the mediatorial throne, 
how can any one else be saved? 

Where do you read that He will ever cease to be 
a mediator? Of course, He will judge the world, 
but He will still readily save all who believe in 
Him. 

(34) Will the world know when Jesus comes and 
catches away His bride? If not, are there not two 
comings? 

We believe the taking away of the bride will be 
unknown to the world. We remember that when 
Enoch had finished his walk of three hundred and 
sixty years with God, "He was not found, for God 
had translated him" (Heb. 11:5). No doubt there 



308 Tfie Blessed Hope. 

was a long search made by the friends of the saintly 
man. He had simply vanished from their presence, 
and they were unable to locate him. Evidently 
the neighbors went about in search of him who had 
so mysteriously disappeared, but "he was not 
found." Elijah was taken away unawares to the 
world. Elisha, by great watchfulness, was per- 
mitted to see him ascend, but no one else. So the 
saints at the Rapture will likely be caught away 
unseen by the world, and diligent search may be 
made for the vanished ones. After the Rapture, 
Christ will reveal himself to the world, in company 
with those who had first been taken up secretly. 
We believe those who accompany Him constitute 
the "cloud" with which He is said to come. Paul 
uses this word "cloud" with reference to the many 
witnesses (Heb. 12:1). 

(35) What will become of all those converted, but 
not sanctified, at the advent? 

Without assuming to judge as to who are in the 
experience of entire sanctification, the writer be- 
lieves that those not clearly or distinctly enjoying 
the fullness of perfect love, will be left to pass 
through the tribulation. It was evidently this 
class that constituted the foolish Virgins whose 
lamps were "going out." I would wish it, how- 
ever, distinctly understood that I do not use the 
term sanctification in any exclusive or partisan 
sense. I would not by this classification sit in 
judgment on the humble servant of God who has 
not identified himself with the so-called "Holiness 
Movement." There are, no doubt, many who are 
more truly sanctified in God's sight who are not 



Question Department. 309 

in the "Holiness Movement," and who do not use 
its phraseology, than some who are in it and 
vociferous defenders of it; but the writer is identi- 
fied distinctly with the Movement. 

(36) Who are meant by the foolish virgins? (Matt. 
25). 

Those not walking in the light of God, not liv- 
ing up to the whole will of God, being satisfied 
with low attainments in Christian experience. 

(37) What class is represented by, the one hun- 
dred and forty -four thousand in Rev. 14? 

They are evidently the same as are mentioned in 
the seventh chapter; twelve thousand out of each 
of the twelve tribes of Israel that were sealed, 
perhaps in the days of the tribulation. They 
were seen standing with the Lamb on Mount 
Zion. 

(38) What is meant by the woman and the man 
child in Rev. 12? 

When we reach the book of Revelation, we are 
in deep water. There are nearly as many theories 
about this book as writers on it. I do not hesitate, 
however, to most heartily commend to all my read- 
ers the three volumes by Seiss, entitled. "Lectures 
on the Apocalypse," from which I have drawn a 
number of extracts for this book. It may be safest 
to consider the woman the church of all ages and 
sects. The man child is the body of rapture saints, 
(a) They are caught up to heaven ; (b) they are the 
product of the church, they come out of it, but do 
not include it. The woman was left behind, while 
the child was caught up. So the bulk of the pro- 
fessing church will be excluded from the marriage 



31) TJie Blessed Hope. 

of the Lamb, while the holy ones, the church with- 
in the church, arise to meet the Lord. 

(39) What is meant by the man of sin (2 Thess. 
2:3)? 

The ' 'Antichrist, " the same as the Beast men- 
tioned in Revelation. 

(40) What is meant by the carcass? (Matt. 24:28). 
It refers to the Lord Jesus. He simply uses the 

illustration that as the eagles gather about the 
dead body, so His people will gather together unto 
Him who was slain for them, and by whose death 
they obtained life. 

(41) When is the war of Armageddon; is it before 
the coming of Christ, or after? 

There seem to be two of these battles, one of 
which occurs in the tribulation just before the ap- 
pearing of Christ (Rev. 16:14-16). 

In this, it is thought the Russians will play a 
large part. (See 38th chapter of Ezekiel). 

After the Millennium, the Devil instigates a re- 
bellion among the multitudes of Gog and Magog, 
which is terminated by the fires of heaven (Rev. 
20:8,9). 

(42) Are there any signs of the nations getting 
ready for that war? 

All nations are loaded down with armies and 
navies, equipped with the most improved weapons 
of destruction, while the most terrific implements 
of warfare are being continually added to the 
armaments of the world. 

(43) What will be going on upon earth while the 
righteous are with the Lord in the air during the 
Rapture? 



Question Department. 311 



Wars, pestilences, famines, plagues, and all 
the conceivable and inconceivable horrors of the 
great tribulation. The Rapture and the Tribula- 
tion" will evidently occupy the same period of time. 
As the ' 'beast" reigns for three and one-half years, 
this will no doubt be the duration of both. 

(44) Will the new heaven and the new earth be 
created before the appearing of Christ? 

No, they come at the end of the thousand years 
(Rev. 20 and 21). 

(45) How is it the wicked shall be destroyed at 
His coming, and yet, "A nation shall be born in a 
day," and "all shall know Him from the least to the 
greatest?" If they are to be destroyed, how can 
they be saved? If saved, will it be by faith or by 
sight? 

While the destruction will be great, it will not be 
universal. Many will live through the tribulation. 
I am inclined to the opinion that those who had the 
light and rejected it, will all perish; while the 
Jews and the heathen nations, together with those 
in so-called Christian lands who have not had the 
opportunities of salvation, will live to the end of 
the "indignation" and will serve the Lord. 

"All shall know" Him, from the least to the 
greatest, has special reference to the Jews, to 
whom the word was spoken by Jeremiah. At the 
same time, the bulk of the heathen nations will also 
be converted, but some of them will yield only a 
feigned obedience (Psa. 18:44, margin). 

You quote, "A nation shall be born in a day," 
and in this you follow many writers, but I know of 
no scripture that teaches it. Isaiah (66:8) asks, 



312 The Blessed Hope. 

! 'Shall a nation be born at once?" I have often 
seen the quotation you make, and think I have, in 
other years, used it myself, but I know of no scrip- 
ture for it. Those who are saved at all, are saved 
by faith (Acts 16:31; Rom.5:l,2; Heb.ll:6; Eph.2:8). 

(46) Will the Bride of Christ be constituted only 
of the entirely sanctified? 

I think so. Ephesians (5 :22-32) gives the picture 
of the sanctified church as the Bride of Christ. 

(47) Are the wise Virgins the bride? 

Virgins are generally the attendants upon the 
bride, the maids-in-waiting. Yet, if it be thus, no 
description is given of the bride in that picture. 
Still it may be true. It is not necessary in the pic- 
ture of the Virgins that a description of the bride 
should appear. A study of Revelation and 1 Cor. 
15 (20-24) we find that the first resurrection is 
broken into bands, regiments and companies. The 
bride may have gone forth to meet her Lord before 
the virgins. I do not know as to this; it is a mere 
suggestion. 

(48) Please explain the meaning of Matt. 10:23. 
(a) It may have reference to the transfiguration, 

which was plainly given as a sample of the Mas- 
ter's coming, (b) Or it may mean that the cities of 
Israel have not all yet received the word, because 
Israel includes the Ten Tribes, which were scat- 
tered. The persecutions also drove the disciples in 
an early day from Judea. In this event our Lord 
will come before the last of the cities of Israel re- 
ceive the gospel. 

(49) Explain "This generation shall not pass till 
all these things be fulfilled" (Matt. 24:34). 



Question Department. 313 

The word generation is from genea, which means 
race or nation. It implies that the Jews will abide 
as a distinct people, will not lose their racial iden- 
tity. 

(50) Explain Matt. 24:15. The abomination of 
desolation, etc. 

(a) It may mean the overthrow of Jerusalem and 
the temple by the Roman armies, or (b) the sack 
and destruction of the city by the Ottoman forces. 
It is said that when the city was captured by the 
Turks in 637, the priest ran crying, "Behold the 
abomination of desolation spoken of Daniel the 
prophet." (c) It may refer to the appearing of 
the Antichrist, who shall sit in the temple of God, 
showing himself off as God. Personally, I am 
inclined to the opinion that it covers all these three 
points. That it refers to the whole period of -the 
desolation of the temple which will terminate in 
the blasphemous performances of the man of sin, 
the Antichrist. 

(51) Will children born during the Millennium die 
after they get saved? 

Yes. While life will be greatly lengthened, even 
as in the days of the Patriarchs, still men will be 
subject to death (Isa. 65:20). 



The following questions are from Walter C. 
Brand, editor of the Pentecost He is a strong 
writer, and his paper is very readable. We trust 
our answers will be helpful to our dear brother, as 
well as to our other readers: 



314 The Blessed Hope, 

(52) (1) Explain 2 Thess. 1:7-10. If Christ is to 
reign one thousand years, what is the flaming fire 
in which He is revealed at His appearing? 

(a) It refers to the tribulation, which is a very 
fiery period to those who have proven themselves 
enemies to Christ; not so much perhaps to the 
heathen nations, as to those who despise Christ 
and trample His grace under foot in gospel lands. 
(b) It also refers to the whole Millennial dispensa- 
tion, which is a period of ruling nations with a rod 
of iron, by punishment for sin, as well as rewards 
for righteousness. (See Zech. 14:12-18). 

(53) (2) In John 6 Jesus states that He will raise 
believers at "the last day." How will you recon- 
cile this with the statement that the holy are raised 
one thousand years before the wicked, who are 
themselves raised at the last day? 

The term "last day" covers the whole period of 
one thousand years, as Peter explicitly states 
(2 Pet. 3:7,8); here he speaks of the judgment day, 
and definitely informs us that it will cover a thou- 
sand years. In it all are raised, the holy at its 
beginning, the unholy at its close. 

(54) (3) Are we not taught in Romans (2:12-16), 
and in 1 Corinthians (4:5), that Christ will judge all 
men when He comes; will it not include the wicked 
as well as the righteous? 

Certainly, as we have shown time and again, the 
whole millennial period is a judgment day; but at 
its beginning the righteous are raised and placed 
by the Master over the nations (Dan. 2:44; 7:18, 
27; Luke 19:16-19). The saints on their thrones 
will execute judgment over the world, acting as 



Question Department. 315 

superintendents of the nations (1 Cor. 6:2), and 
thus the living will be judged. It takes the thou- 
sand years to finish this work. The setting in 
order of the living nations, after which the rest of 
the dead are raised and judged, as plainly shown 
in Rev. 20. It is all connected with our Lord's 
return, but requires time. 

(55) (-4) The Mosaic covenant has passed away, 
that the covenant of Jesus Christ may supersede 
it, being sealed with His own blood. If this be 
perfect, what need have we of the Millennial dis- 
pensation? 

The present covenant is for the individual, se- 
curing his sanctification. The church is composed, 
as we have shown elsewhere, of all those who are 
called out, as the name ecclesia implies, but if they 
are called out, there must be a body left behind. 
As this is the age of individual redemption, the 
Millennial era will be of one national redemption. 
Then nations will he saved as individuals are now. 

(56) (5) Have we the right to quote Acts 15:17 as 
referring to the Lord's future coming? Does it not 
apply to the present dispensation rather than the 
next? 

It certainly does not refer to the present dispen- 
sation exclusively. It can only find its perfect 
fulfillment when Jesus comes again. 

(a) At present we are in the period known as 
"the times of the Gentiles." It is the day of their 
election, (b) After* this, the Lord promises to "re- 
turn." He could not be said to return except He 
had been here once before; hence it refers neces- 
sarily to His second coming, (c) At this second 



316 The Blessed Hope. 

visit to earth He is to ' 'build again the tabernacle 
of David," which is now in ruins. 

Thus we see that the prophet has special refer- 
ence to the time when Israel will be restored, but 
Jesus shows explicitly that Jerusalem shall be 
trodden down by the Gentiles throughout this dis- 
pensation, and until His coming again (Luke 21: 
24-27). Paul teaches the same, that all Israel shall 
be saved by the Deliverer who comes out of Zion. 
He also shows that the time of Israel's restoration 
is the day of fullness of life to the nations (Rom. 
11:12-26). Formerly Christ came out of Israel to 
the nations, but now the case is reversed, and He 
comes ''out of Zion," the church, to turn away un- 
godliness from Jacob, (d) But the residue of men 
do not seek the Lord until the tabernacle of David 
is restored. Put all these facts together, and we 
have a positive demonstration that the passage in 
Acts refers to the second coming of our Lord. 
But these words agree perfectly with those of 
Peter (Acts 3:19-21), where he shows that the day 
of "the restoration of all things" is when Jesus 
returns from the heavens, where He abides till this 
time oj restitution. "Whom the heaven must re- 
ceive till the time of restitution." 

(57) (6) How can Matt. 13:40-43, 47-50 be har- 
monized with the idea that Christ will come and 
reward His saints before He comes to judge the 
wicked? 

"We have shown time and again that Christ will 
judge men at His appearing, and will use His saints 
who are raised at His parousia as judges, but we 
would like for the questioner to try to reconcile 



Question Department. 317 

this scripture with post-millennialism. There is 
positive proof in the Bible that Christ shall have 
dominion over the whole earth (Psa. 72:8; Isa. 11: 
6-9). During this blessed period the nations shall 
learn war no more, but there shall be universal 
peace (Isa. 2:2-4), and all shall know the Lord, 
from the least to the greatest. Now, from the pas- 
sage under consideration, we have positive proof 
that the tares will continue to the end of this age, 
hence the good time described by the prophets 
must necessarily lie beyond the appearing of Christ, 
and after the separation of the tares from the 
wheat. It is, therefore, utterly impossible to 
reconcile the teachings of post-millennialism with 
this plain passage of God's Word. 

(58) (7) Would it not be best for us to use all our 
time and strength in spreading holiness rather 
than post or pre-millennial theories? 

Your question reminds me much of some raised in 
other quarters. Men are continually asking, Had 
we not better be trying to get sinners converted 
than teaching a theory of sanctification? But we 
know that false theories of conversion will leave 
men in their sins, and unsound views of sanctifica- 
tion will hinder the realization of the experience. 
In like manner, error as to the coming of Christ 
will hinder the looking for Him and the longing 
desire to welcome Him. As we have shown in our 
chapters on "The Coming and Other Doctrines," 
and "The Coming and Holiness," there is no truth 
more calculated to promote vital piety and further 
the work of full salvation, than what Paul is 



318 The Blessed Hope. 

pleased to call "The blessed hope of His glorious 
appearing" (Titus 2:13). 

This great apostle also bade his converts comfort 
one another with this gracious doctrine (1 Thess. 
4:18), and our Lord set His return as the goal of 
our preparation and hope (Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12 : 
35-40; 21:27,28). 

From my friend, O. E. Laird, of Mt. Vernon, 
111., comes a typewritten letter of four pages, set- 
ting forth objections to the views advocated by 
myself. I have no space to print his letter in full, 
but will, as carefully as possible, give the gist of 
his objections — for such they are rather than 
questions. 

(59) (1) The doctrine is un-Methodistic. 

I shall not enter into this objection here, since 
the next writer has made it his strong point, at 
which place I will give it proper attention. 

(60) (2) It is not in accordance with the teachings 
of the general church — witness the Apostles' Creed. 
"Thence He shall come to judge the quick and the 
dead," He further adds that "Chiliasm was never 
taught in the church to any great extent, and per- 
haps not at all until nearly a thousand years after 
Christ." (a) I have shown over and over again 
that the millennial era is simply a period of judg- 
ment. That it is the time in which Christ is judg- 
ing the living nations, and that at its close He will 
raise and judge the dead. Hence, the extract from 
the Apostles' Creed is not in any way at variance 
with the position set forth in these pages, (b) 
For Brother Laird, who is a man of education and 
reading, to assert that Christ's personal reign on 



Question Department. 319 

earth was not taught at all for the first thousand 
years of the Christian era, is indeed remarkable. 
On the other hand, no doctrine was taught at vari- 
ance with it, until far into the third century. 

Mosheim confesses that it was the doctrine of 
the early church for the first three centuries. 
Barnabas, Clement, Papias, Lactantius, in fact all 
the fathers of the early church, were a unit upon 
this question, until the days of Origen, who was a 
visionary, and erratic character, esteemed unsound, 
and whose views of a spiritual Millennium were 
combatted by Nepos, Bishop of Alexandria, and 
other fathers of the church. The reign of the 
church, rather than the personal Christ, is an in- 
vention of Romanism, and is on a par with her doc- 
trine of the infallibility of the Popes. "Papias, 
Justin Martyr, Irenaous and Cyprian, among the 
earliest fathers, all held the doctrine of a millen- 
nial kingdom on earth; not till millennial views de- 
generated into a gross carnalism was this doctrine 
abandoned" (Jamieson, Faussett & Brown, on Rev. 
20:3). 

Whitby, an English writer, espoused the idea of 
a Spiritual Millennium to be brought about by the 
triumph of the Gospel. He lived only a little more 
than two centuries since, and was the father of this 
error among Protestants. 

(61) (3) <4 The theory of a general apostasy, neces- 
sitated by this doctrine, is so false that it seems 
remarkable that any Christian man could be tricked 
into believing it." 

This is a remarkable utterance. Over against it 
we will place another written by Saint Paul. The 



320 TJie Blessed Hope. 

reader may judge for himself as to which is the 
better authority, Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, 
or O. E. Laird, of Illinois: 

u Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall 
not come, except there come a falling away first, and that 
man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3). 

(a) There has already been one great Apostasy, 
that of the Middle Ages, (b) In the epistles to the 
seven churches, the last of them is the Laodicean, 
which is a lukewarm, sickening thing that God 
spues from His mouth. There has been one falling 
away, and there may be another. 

As I have shown elsewhere, I assume no obliga- 
tion to prove the world worse than hitherto, but 
that it is far from an ideal condition is easily seen 
by any one not blind. 

(62) (4) ' 'There is absolutely no scriptural founda- 
tion for pre-millennial teachings. All its support 
comes from the prophetic books, and that by a lit- 
eral interpretation that is not warranted." 

(a) To assert that pre-millennial teachings have 
no warrant in Scripture is easier than to prove it. 
It is simply auipse dixit of my friend. I may pos- 
sibly be excused for differing with him, and in 
proof of my position, submit him this book, (b) 
By what authority will he set aside the prophetic 
writings? Have they no inspiration? Are they 
not the voice of God? Christ came to fulfill the 
Law and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17). It would seem 
that He ranks the Prophets with the Law. Peter 
tells us that all the prophets have spoken concern- 
ing the restoration of all things. But according to 
Brother Laird, their utterances are not supposed 



Question Department. 321 

to have authority. Then why were they written?' 
What do they mean? If they cannot be taken on. 
their face value, who will give us a standard by 
which we may read them profitably? They either 
mean what they say, or they mean something else. 
Christ believed them, so did His apostles. He him- 
self was born at the time and place predicted by 
them. Various incidents in His life of humiliation 
were foretold hundreds of years before His first 
appearance. He was to be born in Bethlehem of a 
virgin, to come out of Egypt, to be called a Naza- 
rene, to be despised and rejected of men, to be sold 
for thirty pieces of silver, to make His grave with 
the rich, etc. 

The Jews, like my friend Laird, have spiritualized 
all these things, until the Christ of the prophets- 
has not been accepted by them as the Messiah of 
their hopes. Let us beware, lest we make as grave 
errors respecting His return as they have concern- 
ing His first coming. Our spiritualizing of the 
prophets may lead us into as great errors as theirs 
have led them. 

(63) (5) By the parable of the tares (Matt. 13) we 
see that sin is to continue to the time of judg- 
ment, hence, there can be no intervening millen 
nium. 

Exactly. And here is where post-millennialism 
breaks down. It teaches a millennium in the pres- 
ent dispensation through gospel agencies, but the 
parable of the tares shows that such cannot be. If 
Christ is ever to have dominion over all nations, 
languages, tongues and peoples (Daniel 7:13), it 
must of necessity be after the end of this dispensa- 

21 



322 Tfie Blessed Hope. 

tion, since the tares continue until the coming of 
Christ. 

I am much obliged to Brother Laird for the in- 
troduction of a point so utterly ruinous to his post- 
millennial vagaries. 

(64) (6) "There is to be no personal reign of 
Christ on earth." 

So says O. E. Laird. 

For answer, I quote a man whose authority was 
recognized by Christ and His apostles. "The Lord 
shall be King over all the earth" (Zech. 14:9). John 
heard voices from heaven saying: "The kingdoms 
of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord, 
and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and 
ever." The blood- washed were also heard crying, 
"We shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:10). They do 
not reign alone, but "with Him" (Rev. 20:4-6). 

My Brother may be an authority on some ques- 
tions; but somehow, I feel that those whom I have 
just quoted outrank him touching the kingdom of 
our Lord. 

(65) (7) Christ said: "My kingdom is not of this 
world" (John 18:36). 

To be sure; but that does not argue that it shall 
not extend over this world; on the other hand, the 
scriptures assert positively that it shall. 

The Greek word translated "of" is ek, and means 
out of, or from; hence His meaning is, that the 
kingdom is not of earthly origin, that it was not 
born of the world, it did not originate here, but was 
imported from the skies. If it were of the earth, 
it would be earthly, but being divine, it is heaven- 
ly, spiritual, and eternal: and by it, He shall have 






Question Department. 323 

dominion and reign over the earth. All this occurs 
when He comes in the clouds, as shown in Luke, 
Daniel and elsewhere. 

(66) (8) "If the prophecies count for anything, 
they go to prove that the kingdom of Christ shall 
fill the whole earth." 

To be sure; this is the point we have been mak- 
ing, and by the parable of the tares and the drag- 
net, we learn distinctly that this result is not 
obtained in this dispensation, in which the tares 
prosper as the wheat, being only destroyed at the 
<3nd of this age. Hence, the perfect reign must 
come in the next dispensation, and my point is 
established, and post-millennialism is weighed and 
found wanting. 

(67) (9) "If Christ is to return and set up a ma- 
terial kingdom, then the Holy Ghost must be taken 
away" (John 16:7). 

This does not follow by any means; while eigh- 
teen centuries ago it was necessary that Christ 
should depart that the Comforter might come, yet 
this in no wise proves that the Comforter must de- 
part that Christ might return. On the other hand, 
the Scriptures teach expressly that when Christ 
returns, and the Jews are restored, the Spirit 
will be poured out on the people in abundant 
measure. 

(68) (10) "The important point is not so much 
ivhen He will come as the Imminency of that coming. " 
I am very glad, my dear brother, you have found 
the truth, and surrendered the post-millennial 
error. If the Lord's return is "Imminent" we 
should be looking for Him daily, the glorious event 



324 The Blessed Hope; 

may happen to-night, for that is the meaning of 
the term imminent. Post-millennialism puts off 
the coming of Christ until the world shall have 
been converted by the preaching of the gospel, but 
you have it down correctly that His coming is Im- 
minent, and hence have acknowledged the fallacy 
of post-millennialism. From the preceding notes 
I would call attention to the following facts: 
Brother Laird concludes, (a) That there is no dis- 
pensation beyond the present, (b) That the tares 
will continue to the end of this age. (c) Yet the 
kingdom shall fill the earth. 

If any one knows how to reconcile these contra- 
dictions, he is at liberty to do so. For my part, I 
sum it all up in the words of Solomon, "The legs 
of the lame are not equal." 

(69) I have a letter written by a well known 
Methodist preacher, who says: "When every 
one shall have the opportunity of hearing the gos- 
pel, and of accepting Jesus, that will be the begin- 
ning of the millennium. It may, and probably will, 
last a million years, the physical and human world 
growing more and more paradisian and Christ-like 
all the time; and then, when the knowledge of the 
Lord fills the earth, the end will come. Jesus will 
descend, the judgment will set, and all will receive 
reward or punishment according to infallible jus- 
tice. These are my views, without mentioning the 
scripture on which I base them." 

This is from a letter to a friend of mine. It was 
written by Rev. C. O. Jones, dated Bristol, Tenn., 
January 1, 1900. I am not surprised that the good 
brother did not give the scriptures upon which he 



Question Department. 325 

bases his million-year theory. The probability is, 
he never will. 

It is hard to bring people who have adopted false 
theories together. Brother Jones thinks the com- 
ing of Christ something more than a million years 
ahead, whereas brother Laird, who claims to be, 
but is not, a post-millennialist, thinks the advent 
Imminent.* 

My friend and brother, C. C. Cary, of Georgia, 
busies himself in antagonizing the pre-millennnial 
coming of our Lord. He writes quite frequently 
for the papers, and this question draws out his 
keenest thrusts. Knowing and loving him, I take 
the liberty of dealing with the position assumed by 
him. 

From a letter to the writer, dated January 15, 
1901, I make the following extracts: 

(70) (1) ' 'I am quite sure you would never con- 
vince me of the scripturalness of pre-millenniaHsm. 
My views of almost a lifetime, formed from imbib- 
ing Methodist doctrine, would have to be so com- 

* I say he is not a post-millennialist advisedly. The 
"millennium" is a period of a thousand years, during* which 
Satan is bound, and in which time the world is at least com- 
paratively good. "Post" means after. "Imminent" means 
that a thing may happen at once. Now, if the coming of 
Christ is "imminent," we may be expecting it daily. But if 
post-millennialism be true, we know that at least a thousand 
years, and probably many thousands, must pass first. If 
imminent it cannot be post-millennial, and if post-millennial 
it cannot be imminent. The positions are necessarily and 
essentially contradictory. I believe my Lord's coming im- 
minent, and hence I vigorously and consistently antagonize 
the contrary teaching. 



326 The Blessed Hope. 



pletely revolutionized that it is almost unthinkable 
at this time of life." 

(a) The Christian's experience should be always 
progressing, his hold upon God should become 
firmer; but his opinions should be held subject to 
further light from God's Word. No man's mere 
opinions should be allowed to crystallize. 

(b) Brother Cary's case seems hopeless, from the 
simple fact that he will not even entertain an in- 
quiry. I hope I may never reach this condition on 
any mere "view" of a doctrine taught in God's 
Word. 

(71) (2) "Your views of certain scriptures are so 
widely apart from mine, and the Standard Com- 
mentators, that I could not possibly revolutionize 
my opinions, and undertake to read God's word as 
you do." 

(a) As to the commentaries, I seldom consult 
them. This may be wise, or it may be otherwise, 
but I prefer the Bible to them. 

(b) As to God's word, my rule in reading it is 
with prayer, and an open heart, to seek simply to 
know the mind of the Spirit. I accept all of it as 
literal, except those parts in which, from the lan- 
guage, or by the connection, a symbolic or spiritual 
meaning is manifest. 

If Brother Gary cannot read the Bible as I do, I 
have no fault to find with him, but still I must in- 
sist that we should read it for information, and not 
to establish preconceived opinions. 

(72) (3) "If I were to entertain the question of 
accepting this view of our Lord's coming, which I 
now believe to be serious error, it would put me in 



Question Department. 327 



the attitude of saying practically that I believe the 
Methodist Church has been in error on this ques- 
tion in teaching, as she does, that Christ will come 
at the end of the world to judge the quick and the 
dead, and not a thousand years before the end. 
This I am not prepared to do, for I cannot yet put 
myself in direct antagonism to what Methodism 
plainly teaches on the second coming, and say that 
this grand Church in which I was born, born 
again, and raised, is in such grave error as you 
place it by your advocacy of pre-millennialism .... 
Not until recent years did I ever hear of a Meth- 
odist preacher advocating any other doctrine than 
that Christ would come at the end of the world,, 
and then and there, immediately, would hold the great 
assize. Nor did I ever hear of two resurrections, or 
of Christ's reigning on earth a thousand years before 
the end.... You ought to say to the public that 
your church teaches post-millennialism, and that 
you differ with it upon this doctrine." 

6 'If I were to say that I now thought my church 
wrong upon this doctrine, after teaching it one hun- 
dred and fifty years, then the next question would 
be, Why is not Methodism wrong upon some other 
of her doctrines?" 

This is a remarkable document. I never knew 
before that Methodism was infallible. I thought 
the Pope held a monopoly on this line, but if 
Brother Cary is correct, no man has a right to differ 
with the teachings of Methodism, for they are 
essentially, absolutely and in detail, to be received 
as of inspired authority and divine origin. 

I have been a Methodist preacher for twenty-five 



328 The Blessed Hope. 

years, nearly as long as my good brother, but this 
is a little too much for me. As much as I love my 
church, I have not sold out soul, body, conscience, 
mind and "all the appurtenances thereunto be- 
longing"' to Methodism. I believe its teachings in 
the main to be correct; to my mind it presents the 
simplest, most scriptural body of doctrines, and, 
withal, the best polity, to be found. But I also 
remember that no church or preacher has any right 
to lord it over the consciences of men (1 Pet. 5:2-4). 
This is the curse of Romanism. Whenever the 
Word of God is set aside as the only standard of 
authority in doctrine, and the church assumes this 
prerogative, at once we are making headway rap- 
idly for the dark ages. 

If a Methodist cannot think or read the Bible 
without consulting his creeds, confessions and 
"standards," neither can the Presbyterian; in like 
manner, the Baptist must inquire of his church 
fathers, the Episcopalian of his bishop, the Roman- 
ist of his priest; each must first know what is the 
standard of faith and doctrine. By this rule you 
Tiave many standards, and yet no real source of 
inspiration, no actual standard of doctrine from 
which there is no appeal. But Methodism does 
not ask such blind adherence; she does not put her 
children in Bro. Cary's strait-jacket; she claims 
no inspiration, and presents no higher source of 
faith or doctrine than the canon of sacred Scrip- 
ture. 

In our fifth Article of Faith we read: "The Holy 
Scriptures contain all things necessary to salvation; 
so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be 



Question Department. 329 

proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, 
that it should be believed as an article of faith, or 
be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." 

(b) But does Methodism teach post-millennialism? 
This I exceedingly doubt. In our standards of 
doctrine there is no explicit utterance to that 
effect. 

I am well aware that in the ritual of baptism we 
read that Christ * 'shall come again, at the end of 
the world to judge the quick and the dead." But 
this I also teach, if we construe the term ''world" 
as it frequently occurs in our English Bible. 

The return of Christ is at the end of the period, 
and the judgment begins with the quick, that is, 
the living, continuing for a period of one thousand 
years. This is followed by the judgment of the 
dead. For first the "quick," then the "dead" are 
judged. 

It may be a preponderance of Methodist preach- 
ers are post-millennialists, but this proves nothing, 
since we are, none of us, beyond the possibility of 
error. It is a well-known fact that the majority of 
Methodist preachers are not true to the doctrine 
of their church on the subject of sanctification. 
While the church is not specifically committed to 
post-millennial teachings, it is clearly so committed 
to the second blessing view of entire sanctification. 
Yet many of its preachers reserve the right to 
repudiate its distinct teachings on holiness. 

Mr. Wesley gave some very clear and pointed en- 
dorsements of what is known as pre-millennialism. 

Tyerman in his Life of Wesley shows conclu- 
sively that the Founder of Methodism was a be- 



330 TJw Blessed Hope. 



liever in pre-millennial teaching, that he strongly 
commended a book by Rev. Thos. Hartley, entitled, 
"Paradise Restored." Of it Tyerman says: 

"It is, by far, the most sober, sensible, scriptural 
and learned work on the millennium that it has 
been our lot to read. He professes to show 'the 
great importance of the doctrine of Christ's glori- 
ous reign on earth with his saints;' and maintains 
that 'it is typified in many of the Levitical insti- 
tutes; was foretold and described in numberless 
places by the inspired prophets; was made the 
subject of many precious promises in the gospel; 
was delineated in the Revelation of St. John; and 
was received as an apostolical doctrine by the 
primitive Christians, according to the testimony of 
several of the ancient fathers, ' as Barnabas, Her- 
man, Justin Martyr, Irenasus, Tertullian, and Lac- 
tantius. He further argues that the doctrine re- 
ceived the sanction of the Council of Nice, called 
by Constantine the Great, and composed of bishops 
from all parts of the Christian world; and that it 
is embodied in the Catechism of King Edward VI., 
which was revised by the English bishops and pub- 
lished by royal authority, in the last year of King 
Edward's reign. 

"His arguments, to illustrate the importance of 
the doctrine, are, to say the least, exceedingly in- 
genious and able.*' 

Hartley's creed as condensed by the author of 
Wesley's Life is: "1. Christ will come a second 
time, and will set up a kingdom, and visibly reign 
on the earth for a thousand years. 2. During this 
reign, His saints will be raised and restored to the 



Question Department. 331 

perfection of the first man, Adam; and earth, all 
over, will be made a copy of the primeval paradise. 
3. During this millenarian theocracy, saints will 
flourish, and sinners be in absolute subjection; hos- 
tility and discord will cease, and all things harmon- 
ize in unity and peace. 4. Some of the saints will 
be crowned and sit on thrones; some be set over 
ten cities, and some over five; some will sit at table 
with Christ, and others serve; some follow Him 
whithersoever He goes, and others come period- 
ically to worship in His presence." 

"These are a few of the salient points of Mr. 
Hartley's learned and able book. Why are they 
enumerated here? Because, in substance, they were 
held by Wesley. Wesley read the book, and read 
it with approbation. He writes to the author: 
'Your book on the Millennium was lately put into 
my hands. I cannot but thank you for your strong 
and seasonable confirmation of that comfortable 
doctrine : of which I cannot entertain the least doubt, 
as long as I believe the Bible. 1 * " 

Tyerman adds: "With such a statement, in refer- 
ence to such a book, there can be no doubt that 
Wesley, like his father before him, was a Millena- 
rian, a believer in the second advent of Christ, to 
reign on earth, visibly and gloriously for a thousand 
years.*' 

"In his letter to Dr. Middle ton (1749), he refers to 
the creed of Justin Martyr, namely, that, at Christ's 
second coming, the martyrs will be raised, and, for 
a thousand years, will reign with Christ in Jerusa- 
lem, which will then be rebuilt and enlarged, and 
richly adorned, according to the prophets (Isaiah 



332 The Blessed Hojie. 

lxv.); and that, at the end of the thousand years, 
there will be a universal resurrection, in order to 
the final judgment. These were the views of Jus- 
tin Martyr; views which Wesley says Justin de- 
duced from the prophets and the apostles, and 
which were also adopted by the fathers of the sec- 
ond and third centuries. In fact, 'to say that they 
believed this, was neither more nor less than to 
say, they believed the Bible.' " 

There appeared also an article in Wesley's Armin- 
ian Magazine, in 1784, page 154, on "The Renova- 
tion of All Things." Here it is set forth that, 
* 'according to prophetic promises, there will be a 
middle period between the present pollution, cor- 
ruption, and degradation of the earth, 'and that of 
a total, universal restoration of all things in a 
purely angelical, celestial, etherial state;' and, in 
this middle period, 'between these two extremes,' 
the earth will be restored to its 'paradisaical 
state,' and be 'renewed in its primitive lustre and 
beauty.'" 

Sometimes Mr. Wesley seemed to contradict his 
own utterances, and yet these are unmistakably 
premillennial as given above. 

From the Methodist Hymn-book I present some 
verses from Charles Wesley, which are distinctly 
pre-millennial. These show Charles W.'s view, 
and if not in harmony with the teachings of Meth- 
odism what are they doing in the Hymn-book? Can 
Bro. Cary explain? 



Question Department. 333 

1 Lo! He comes, with clouds descending, 

Once for favored sinners slain! 
Thousand thousand saints attending, 
Swell the triumph of His train! 

Hallelujah! 
GOD APPEARS ON EARTH TO REIGN. 

2 Every eye shall now behold Him 

Robed in dreadful majesty; 
Those who set at naught and sold Him, 
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree, 

Deeply wailing, 
Shall the true Messiah see. 

3 Yea, Amen! let all adore thee, 

High on thy eternal throne! 
Saviour, take the power and glory, 
Claim the kingdom for thine own! 

Jah ! Jehovah ! 
Everlasting God, come down! 

Now, since there is no definite utterance from my 
church upon this question, supported as I am by 
both the Wesleys and the Hymn book, and with the 
Word of God overwhelmingly on my side, I propose 
to stand for this truth whatever may be the views 
of my dear brother Cary, or any other brethren. 

(c) Brother Cary invites me to publish to the 
world that I differ with my church. This I cannot 
do, as he is evidently as much at variance with 
Methodism upon this subject as I, probably more. 

(d) ' 'I never heard of two resurrections, or Christ's 
reigning on earth a thousand years." 

Pity you have not read the 20th chapter of Rev- 
elation; also Isaiah 32:1; Zech. 14:9; Luke 1:32, to- 
gether with other innumerable scriptures. That 
beautiful emblem of our Lord's passion which we 



334 Tlie Blessed Hope. 

celebrate in the broken bread, and the fruit of the 
vine, points forward the faith of His trusting child 
to His coming (1 Cor. 11:26), when the kingdom shall 
be established (Luke 21:31). 

Trusting our dear brother will receive greater 
light from the precious truth of our Lord's coming 
and kingdom, and that this book may be a blessing 
to all its readers, and that they, with him and the 
writer, may be prepared to greet our descending 
Lord with shouts of welcome, we bid you, one and 
all, a loving farewell. 



Appendix A. 335 



Appendix A. 



In a camp-meeting which I conducted in Florida 
in the fall of 1899, Rev. J. C. Green was present, 
and publicly announced himself a convert to the 
views which were there presented. After the 
meeting, however, he repudiated the doctrine of 
the near coming of Christ, and shortly after 
preached a sermon before his District Conference 
in which I was made the target of his criticisms. 
The sermon was published, by request of the Con- 
ference, in the Florida Christian Advocate, and also 
in tract form. I do not feel that the production 
merits a reply, but because of the Conference en- 
dorsement, and the further fact, that space was 
given it in the official organ of our church for that 
State, I feel that some reply in these pages may 
not be inappropriate. 

1. The brother misrepresents me, unintention- 
ally, of course, but nevertheless it puts me in a 
false attitude. He has me saying: "Jesus was a 
failure; Pentecost was a failure; Christianity is 
merely nominal, all is failure. " Instead, I said that 
man is a failure under every dispensation, up to, 
and including, the present. This I have abundantly 
proven in these pages. Christ is no failure, for He 
shall in due time subdue the world, and have do- 
minion over all lands. But the time of His reign 
is not yet. Satan is "the god of this age," as testi- 
fied by Paul. 



336 TJie Blessed Hope. 

2. Bro. Green says: "The Spirit's dispensation 
is to last forever. This is fundamental, nothing 
can change it." If he means by the dispensation 
of the Spirit that the Christian Era, that in which 
we now are, is to last forever, I deny, and demand 
the proof. On the other hand, the Bible speaks 
constantly of the "end of the age;" references 
having been given in this book I need not repeat 
them. I, however, believe that the Spirit will 
abide through the Millennial dispensation, and in 
the new earth forever. 

3. Here is a remarkable utterance from Bro. 
Green concerning the position advanced by myself. 
"It is a pessimistic theory, rests entirely upon in- 
terpretations which controvert the absolute knowl- 
edge and justice of God, for it dethrones both the 
necessity and efficiency of the divine Sacrifice; it 
robs the apostolic commission of its Rock Founda- 
tion, 'Lo, I am with you,' and falsifies the pre- 
vailing doctrines of near two thousand years. It 
robs Pentecost, the promise of the Father, of its 
power, and Jesus of his truth." 

This is a very strong indictment. The brother 
does hot hesitate to make bold charges. Can he 
sustain them? I deny. While I am no blind opti- 
mist, I am no pessimist. Though the picture is 
dark (Matt. 24; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Tim. 4:1-3). Yet it 
is lightened with the blessed prospect of the ap- 
proaching King and kingdom. 

He is wide of the mark when he says that pre- 
millennialism controverts the absolute knowledge 
and justice of God. There is no reason for such 
charge. God knows all things, and will bring in 



Appendix A, 337 



everlasting justice. There is no connection be- 
tween the subject in hand and the charge. Instead 
of it robbing the divine Sacrifice of its efficiency, it 
crowns Christ the absolute Sovereign of this and all 
worlds. He declares that I "rob Jesus of his 
truth." On the other hand, he positively denies the 
unequivocal assertions of Holy Writ. For the Bible 
does teach plainly and constantly that the world is 
wicked, and will continue so until the return of 
Christ; that He will find the world steeped in sin y 
under the dominion of Antichrist, and living as in 
the days of Noe and Lot. Instead of this "falsify* 
ing the prevailing doctrines of two thousand years, " 
it is simply a revival of the primitive faith, whereas, 
Bro. Green's post- millennial teaching is the inven- 
tion of the heretic Origen and the faith of a fallen 
ecclesiasticism. Romanism is very fond of post- 
millennial teaching. 

4. Listen at this, ' ' Jesus says this dispensation 
will last forever.'' Where? I call for the proof 
text. He does not say so in Matt. 13:39,40; 24:3, 
and other places where the "end of the age" is, 
spoken of. He makes no such statement in the 
New Testament. How a man who boasts of sixty 
years of Bible study can make such unfounded as- 
sertions is remarkable. 

5. "Our friends not seeing the rapid progress in 
the conversion of the world, which their ardent 
spirits desire, have invented a compulsory theory 
— a sight theory to force a speedy subjugation, by 
substituting an incarnate ruler; one who will more 
literally rule 'with a rod of iron.' " 

Who does he think invented this theory? The 



338 The Blessed Hope. 

angel said that Jesus should "sit on the throne of 
His Father David;" the Psalmist declared that He 
should "rule with a rod of iron;" John said that 
"every eye shall see Him;" Jesus Himself promised 
thrones to His disciples, and rulership over the 
twelve tribes of Israel; Daniel said the saints 
should possess the Kingdom, while Paul asserted 
that they should judge the world; John declares 
they shall reign "with Him," and the saints from 
heaven respond "on the earth." So it is simply 
'Green against Christ and the "holy men of old," 
who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 

6. "The prevailing doctrine for nearly two thou- 
sand years has been holiness to the Lord." 

Brother, you have surely been more fortunate 
than I, if you have found this blessed truth so gen- 
eral as to truly call it the prevailing doctrine. I 
find it too generally the discredited doctrine, labeled 
"fanaticism," but when Jesus appears in the clouds 
and becomes king over all the earth, then ' 'holiness 
to the Lord" will be on "the bells of the horses." 
{SeeZech. 14:5,9,14.) 

7. Bro. Green harps on Millerism. He strives to 
involve all who believe the coming of our Lord to 
be near in the errors of Miller, who was no doubt a 
good man, but made the mistake of setting an ex- 
act date for the second advent. Of course this was 
a blunder; but many good men have likewise erred, 
not simply on this question, but on others. Our 
Brother's position might be stated somewhat as 
follows: Miller was an adventist. Miller was a 
crank. Therefore all adventists are cranks. Con- 
clusive is it? Then I will give you another syllo- 



Appendix A. 339 



gism. How will this do? Miller was a Christian. 
Miller was a crank. Therefore all Christians are 
cranks. Or, try another. Miller was a white man. 
Miller was a fanatic. Therefore all white men are 
fanatics. Such is the sum of Bro. Green's wonder- 
ful logic. 

The devil likes to spoil truth. If Christianity- 
could have been wrecked by the blunders of its ad- 
herents, it would have "gone the way of all the 
earth" long ago. We believe ardently that our 
Lord's return is near, but we have no dates to sug- 
gest. 

8. "Sight is compulsion and destroys free agen- 
cy." Then there were no free agents among the 
throngs who followed Jesus when on earth eighteen 
hundred years ago. Multitudes saw him. "Sight 
is compulsion." Therefore multitudes were com- 
pelled. "Sight destroys free agency." Thousands 
saw him. Therefore the free agency of thousands 
was destroyed. Absurdity gone to seed! 

" 'But,' says Bro. Pickett, 'sight does not inter- 
fere with faith, it did not when he was here, they 
believed on him then.' This the Bible does not 
warrant. " 

Let us consult the Word, ' 'Many more believed 
because of his own word; and said unto the woman, 
Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we 
have heard him ourselves, and know that this is in- 
deed the Christ, the Saviour of the World" (John 
4:41,42). The blind man saw Jesus and believed 
(John 9:35-38). 

8. "The reign of Jesus is by the Holy Spirit, 
and He is now reigning with a sharp sword in His 



340 TJie Blessed Hope. 

mouth; even sharper than any two-edged sword; 
He is ruling to-day with a rod of iron .... Yes, He 
is now reigning on the only throne on which He will 
ever sit." 

If so, why is Satan called the "god of this world," 
and "the prince of this world?" If so, why are 
there so many saloons, and gambling hells? Why 
is there so much of war, of profanity, of lust, of 
unbelief, of infidelity, of wickedness? It seems 
strange if Christ is ruling with authority and power 
in the earth that He tolerates so much that is evi- 
dently infernal in origin and tendency. No, my 
brother, Christ is not reigning on earth yet, nor 
will He until He comes in the clouds of heaven. 
(See Dan. 7:13,14; Luke 21:27-31; Rev. 11:15-18.) 
Jesus speaks of the Son of man "in his day" (Luke 
17:24). It is then that He lightens the world. 
From this we conclude that His day is not yet. 
This is the age of wickedness, the devil's day, and 
it is as though Jesus had said, My time is coming. 
And so it shall; but this is the age of darkness and 
of sin. 

9. Our brother preaches that Christ will occupy 
the throne in heaven till the end of all things, and 
denies their being a first resurrection. Paul, on 
the other hand, teaches that at the coming of 
Christ those who are His will be raised, and it is 
after this that He puts down "all authority and 
power," even to the destruction of death (1 Cor. 
15:24-28). 

Bro. Green has it that all authority and power 
are exercised from the skies, that all enemies are 
overthrown while Christ is yet in heaven, but Paul 






Appendix A. 341 



does not so state the case. He has Christ return- 
ing while the man of sin is yet antagonizing the 
work of God, and this son of perdition is to be de- 
stroyed according to the great apostle's teaching, 
by ■ 'the brightness of Christ's appearing" (2 Thess. 
2:1-9). Now, it is evident that the man of sin, the 
Antichrist, continues until the advent. Hence, if 
all wickedness is to be overthrown and the King- 
dom of Christ fill the world, it must of necessity 
occur at the King's glorious appearing. Those 
that are Christ's are raised from the dead at His 
coming (1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 4:17). These reign 
with Him on the earth (Rev. 20:4; 5:10). But Bro. 
Green does not seem to mind differing with Paul, 
John and Jesus, even as with me. He says that 
Christ "is now reigning on the only throne on 
which He will ever sit." But the angel announced 
that He would occupy the throne of David, and that 
surely cannot be located in heaven. Jeremiah also 
spoke of Jerusalem as the throne of the Lord 
(3-17). God declared by Hosea that Israel should 
be many days without a king, but should afterwards 
return and seek the Lord, and that He would raise 
up a king unto them, and this, we learn from the 
New Testament, is Jesus, "the King of the Jews." 
10. The Brother speaks of a "reincarnation," as 
though pre-millennialists teach such. Not by any 
means. Jesus carried His glorified body to the 
skies and will return as He went. Hence, there is 
no necessity for reincarnating Divinity. He bears, 
even in heaven, the scars of Calvary, the same 
blessed body which slept in Joseph's tomb, and 
over which was written at His crucifixion "The 



342 TJie Blessed Hope. 



King of the Jews." And this shall be fully real- 
ized. Not only shall He be King of the Jews, but> 
the King of all kings, and Lord of all the earth, 
when He comes in the clouds with power and great 
glory. 

11. A climax of absurdities is reached in our 
Brother's efforts to discount the resurrection ' 'from 
among the dead." He takes Colossians (3:1), "If 
ye be risen with Christ," as having the same mean- 
ing as the passage in Revelation concerning those 
who have part in the first resurrection. His lan- 
guage is, "These had never been dead physically, 
and yet they were risen, resurrected, regenerated, 
born again. In this connection, either of these 
terms might have been used, for the word which 
was used means in this place, exactly what all the 
others mean in like connection. Then, they were 
resurrected.' 5 

Speaking of those whom John saw (Rev. 20) he 
says: "We readily see that these had not passed 
through physical resurrection, for John only saw 
their souls. " In error again. The words in Colos- 
sians 3:1 and Revelation 20:5 are not the same. 
John uses anastasis, which is the regular word for 
the resurrection of the dead. Thayer, in his Greek- 
English Lexicon, defining this word in this partic- 
ular passage says: "It is a rising from the dead," 
such as ' 'has come to pass as yet only in the case 
of Christ alone," but this "will be that of true 
Christians, and at the end of a thousand years will 
be followed by a second resurrection, that of all the 
rest of mankind." 

Evidently the same kind of resurrection which is 



Appendix A. 343 






accorded the saints at the coming of Christ will be 
extended to the balance of the dead at the end of 
the thousand years (Rev. 20:6,12), that is, both are 
physical. If it is only a spiritual resurrection in 
the one case, so it is in the other; and if figurative 
in either case, it must be so in both. But if the 
resurrection is real at the end of the thousand 
years, at the day of final judgment, so it must be 
real at the beginning of the thousand years. Now, 
the passage which he introduces from Colossians 
contains a word that is altogether different. It is 
sunegerthete, which Thayer defines to mean "To 
raise up together from moral death (my italics) to a> 
new and blessed life devoted to God." So we see 
that in the one case it is purely a moral resurrec- 
tion, that is, a regeneration; but in the other, it is; 
a bodily resurrection, a literal rising from the 
dead. 

Bro. Green argues that "John saw only their 
souls." Elsewhere in this book we have treated 
the use of the word "souls" sufficiently. Suffice it 
to say here, that after he saw them in their disem- 
bodied state he positively asseverates that they had 
been beheaded for their testimony, but that they 
lived. Their souls were not dead on account of 
their being beheaded, for they had been risen with 
Christ (Col. 3:1), but simply their bodies had died. 

Hence, when the apostle says that "they lived," 
we know the only meaning it can have is, they lived 
out of their death; that is, in the same sense in 
which they died, lived again, were raised from the 
dead. And this is the meaning of the word used by 
John, both in classic and New Testament use. 



344 The Blessed Rope. 

12. Absurdity piles on absurdity when our critic 
represents the great angel that seized Satan and 
bound him for a thousand years as being Christ, 
and the chain in his hand as being the gospel. He 
says, "It represents the Son of man with the gos- 
pel, in appearance like a chain, because it is a suc- 
cession of revealed truths, which so perfectly con- 
nect together that they form an endless chain. 
These truths are 'the sword of the Spirit,' and 
make up the weapons always used by the Saviour 
when in contest with either Satan or the Pharisees. 
I therefore suggest that the Son of man is the angel 
and the gospel is the chain." 

This is a new one on us. A new use of the gos- 
pel has been discovered. By it Satan is to be 
bound. Why not rather convert him, and be done 
with it? An imagination as fruitful as Bro. Green's 
should not stop at merely binding Beelzebub, but 
lie should by all means carry on the conquest of the 
gospel till his Satanic Majesty is truly saved, and 
fully sanctified. If a man's imagination is to be al- 
lowed unlimited sway, he had as well use it for the 
conversion of Satan as on the interpretation of 
Scripture. 

The plain record of John is, that he "saw an 
angel" descend out of heaven with the key of the 
abyss, and a great chain in his hand, and he laid 
hold on the dragon, and bound him and cast him 
into prison, that he should deceive the nations no 
more for a thousand years. The word rendered he 
"laid hold of" is ekratesen, which means to seize, or 
lay sudden hold of, as a sheriff would seize a crim- 
inal. This word is used in the record of the cap- 



Appendix A. 345 

ture of Jesus by the mob (Matt. 26:50). It is said 
they "laid hands" on Jesus and seized Him. Ac- 
cording to Bro. Green it simply means they 
preached the gospel to Him, and bound an endless 
chain of truth about Him ! ! ! If the binding of Satan 
is simply the gospelizing of the old sinner, why 
should it lose its effect at the end of a thousand 
years? Does Bro. Green mean to assert that the 
serpent is truly saved for a millennium and then 
backslides again? 

If the gospel is a "chain," how can it be a sword? 
If it is intended for the conversion of men only, 
and for antagonizing the devil, how can it chain 
him? The gospel is the power of God to the sal- 
vation of men, but it is scarcely intended to chain 
Satan. 

13. But hear him further: "Is it unreasonable to 
interpret the resurrection to be a reforming of 
bodies out of the common elements of matter, and 
then spiritualizing, and translating them in like 
manner? May it be out of reason to conclude that 
the peaceful reign of a thousand years (a day for a 
year) is in order, that enough God-children will 
have lived to require all matter to compose the 
resurrected bodies, and that the stupendous climax 
may result of creating atoms out of nothing, worlds 
out of atoms, infusing the worlds with animal life 
and instict, connecting Himself by breath with His 
noblest animal, turning all matter into that partic- 
ular class of beings, and then spiritualizing the 
•entire mass, that 'All creation shall with intelli- 
gence and adoration, Praise the Lord forever.' " 

My ! Not only has Bro. Green's gospel process 



346 The Blessed Hope. 



reached Satan, but it now actually transmutes all 
matter into spiritual intelligences! What has be- 
come of the rocks, the mountains, the rivers, the 
soil of earth, of all matter? Why, Bro. Green's- 
gospel has etherealized it. It has turned into liv- 
ing intelligences and is round the throne prais- 
ing God. So we understand now how it is that 
the first heaven and the first earth passed away. 
Pity Bro. Green was not born six thousand years 
ago. 

14. "The reign of Saints began when the first 
son of Adam entered the first blood-washed man- 
sion in glory." So they have been reigning all the 
centuries. Then why so much sin in the world, if 
the saints have been reigning through all the ages? 
Why have they tolerated such abounding wicked- 
ness? But Bro. Green would tell us their reign is 
in heaven. Then I suppose they will never reign 
on earth at all. 

If the Kingdom is already in their possession, 
and its field is far away from this sin-cursed earth, 
then we need never look for their dominion on this, 
planet. 

I had thought to have noticed Bro. Green's treat- 
ment of Enoch, who has it that the old saint has 
turned into an angel, whose name is Gabriel, since 
he reached the upper world, but I suppose it is 
unnecessary. His absurdities are so numerous, his 
errors so manifest, his interpretations so fanciful, 
that the strange thing about it is that an intelligent 
body of Methodist preachers should have given it 
the sanction of their endorsement, by requesting 
its publication. 



Appendix A. 347 



How the Florida Christian Advocate can give cir- 
culation to such inexcusable vagaries is past com- 
prehension. 

Bro. Green challenged me frequently last sum- 
mer to answer him. Over-burdened with work, I 
refused to give time and strength to a reply. Now 
he has it. Peace to him, and to all who have fallen 
into his errors. 



348 The Blessed Hope. 



Appendix B. 



The editor of the Florida Christian Advocate has 
been giving considerable attention during the past 
year to the subject of Christ's coming. In a recent 
editorial he makes some strange assertions. I boil 
down the teachings of his editorial as carefully as 
I can. 

First, he tells us, "Too many have no other idea 
of Christ's coming than that of a visible appearance 
in His risen body .... But there is a better view, 
and we offer it now. That coming of our Lord, for 
which His people were commanded to watch after 
His ascension, could not have been His bodily com- 
ing, as we learn from the simple fact that the com- 
ing referred to was to be ivatched for by them. Can 
we suppose that Christ and His Apostles would set 
people to watching for an event that we know was 
then at least eighteen hundred years distant, and 
not to come while they were watching? 

"The coming they were to watch for was five 
times spoken of as 'at hand.' St. James said, 'The 
coming of the Lord draweth near,' and Behold the 
Judge standeth before the door. . . .We cannot es- 
cape one of two alternative conclusions: Either the 
expectation referred to was a false one ; or else Christ 
did come about that time. We must find scripture 
proof of the coming of Christ near that time, or we 
must admit that a false expectation was created and 
encouraged." 



Appendix B. 349 



He quotes Matt. 16:28 and adds, "This clearly in- 
dicates two things: (1) That some would die before 
the coming referred to; and (2) that some would 
live on until that coming" .... 

"In Matt. 24:1-3, we read of Christ's predicting 
the destruction of the temple, and of His disciples 
asking Him, 'When shall these things be? and what 
shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of 
the world?' Here we have really but one question: 
The disciples ask for the time and the sign of 
Christ's coming to destroy the temple and terminate 
that age. They did not ask about the end of the 
kosmos, but of the aionos, the age in which they 
were living, the Jewish dispensation." For proof 
of his position he quotes Mark 13:4 and Luke 21:7, 
and adds: "So the question referred to the events 
connected with the downfall of Jerusalem and the 
Jewish nationality as affecting the Christian relig- 
ion and church; and each of the first three evan- 
gelists represents Christ as saying that 'This 
generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled.' 
The coming of Christ to judge the Jewish nation, 
to deliver His people from Jewish persecution and 
claims, to take away the theocratic kingdom from 
the Jews and to give it to His church, was a 
fact that took place before that generation passed 
away.". . . . 

He proceeded in the 25th chapter to speak of His 
coming to judge the church, .... and represents that, 
as ' 'after a long time," in contrast with the coming 
to judge Jerusalem before that generation passed 
away; and further, at the 31st verse He speaks of 
His coming to judge all "nations." 



350 The Blessed Hope. 

He further informs us that this "gradation of 
Christ's comings is strikingly borne out in the book 
of Revelation. The destruction of Jerusalem was 
past when that book was written, and therefore no 
mention is made in it of Christ's coming to judge 
the Jewish nation, but in the second and third chap- 
ters Christ's coming to His churches is six times 
definitely mentioned, and near the close of the book 
Christ's coming to judge the world.. ..So we see 
how the different comings of our Lord are graded: 
He came before John died to judge the Jewish peo- 
ple; He came to judge His own people; and He will 
come again to judge all nations, small and great, 
the living and the dead." 

He refers to John 14:3; Matt. 28:20; Col. 1:27; 
Eph. 3:17, as embraced in the comings of Christ, 
and adds, "Now with this scriptural summary in 
view, we can readily see how our watching is af- 
fected. 1. We of this age have nothing to do with 
watching for Christ's coming to judge the Jewish 
nation, a coming which was at hand in the days of 
the apostles. . . .It is a past event. 2. The coming 
of Christ to judge ' all nations will take place after 
the millennium, as we learn in Rev. 20th chapter, 
and as the millennium is not yet come, we need not 
now be watching for the coming of Christ in visible 
manifestation as the Judge of all nations." 

He argues, third, concerning providential and 
spiritual comings, comings in revivals and in chas- 
tening events and in the baptisms of the Holy 
Spirit, and "He comes at death to receive His 
own." "Here we have the right ground of Chris- 
tian watching." "Some day or some night, He will 



Appendix B. 351 



receive our spirits and we shall go home to our 
Father's house to behold His glory forever. Then 
let us watch, for the invisible all-glorious Lord is 
ever near." 

Our dear Bro. Anderson is an old and honored 
minister of the Methodist Church. I have great 
respect for him, and would not like to appear se- 
vere in my criticisms of anything he may write. I 
am, however, in the interest of truth, disposed to 
puncture some of his propositions. He lays him- 
self liable. By his method of interpretation the 
vagaries of Swedenborg, or the blasphemies and 
hollow mockeries of so-called Christian Science 
can be easily and fully sustained. If the plagues 
or the fierce onslaughts of a heathen army can be 
compared to the coming of the Divine, all-glorious 
Christ, the Son of God, the Son of man, then there 
is an end to all serious, intelligent interpretation of 
Scripture. The Christian Scientists tell us that 
there is no reality in matter, consequently none in 
pain. What you consider headache, earache, rheu- 
matism, neuralgia, is all a thing of the imagination, 
and might be called a pleasant sensation, the best 
of health as truly as disease. In line with their 
method of interpretation comes our dear Brother, 
and when we read that "the Son of man shall come" 
he supposes that it may mean the ravages of the 
Roman army or the sufferings and death of people 
through disease, plague and starvation. Every 
time a Christian dies Bro. Anderson supposes that 
the Son of man has come. 

Now let us look into the matter seriously. This 
title, "the Son of man," was appropriated by our 



352 The Blessed Hope. 

Lord, for so He called Himself. He promised that 
"as" He went away, "so" He would return, and 
this is called in Scripture His parousia. It is also 
called His epiphaneia. Now these words have refer- 
ence directly to a bodily presence, an individual per- 
sonality, and not to a mere influence. There is noth- 
ing that can be called properly the coming, the 
parousia, or epiphaneia, of Christ but His personal, 
visible manifestation, either (a) to His church; or, (b) 
to the world. These words neither of them ever 
have their fulfillment in anything short of a bodily 
presence. Thayer in his Greek-English Lexicon 
defines parousia, first, "presence;" second, "the 
presence of one coming; hence, the coming, ar- 
rival, advent. In the New Testament, especially, 
the advent, that is the future, visible, return from 
heaven of Jesus the Messiah, to raise the dead, hold the 
last judgment and to set up formally and gloriously the 
Kingdom of God." (My italics). Here he gives the 
references: Matt. 24:3; 1 Thess. 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 
James 5:7. This is not only the definition of 
Thayer, but it is borne out by every other author- 
ity whom I have consulted on the subject. One 
eminent writer says: "Parousia is used twenty-four 
times in the Scriptures, and in every one of them 
denotes a literal presence — a personal advent." In 
other pages of this book I have shown where it is 
used and is applied to the arrival of Stephanus, 
Fortunatus, Achaicus and others. According to 
Bro. Anderson's method of interpretation Paul 
might have supposed all of these brethren to have 
arrived every time their names occurred to him, a 
simple thought of them might have justified him in 



Appendix B. 353 



declaring their appearing, for so he has Jesus com- 
ing in revivals, spiritual manifestations, etc. 

The word epipheneia, Thayer defines "an appear- 
ing, appearance.*' "In the New Testament the ad- 
vent of Christ — not only that which has already 
taken place and by which his presence and power 
appear in the saving light he has shed upon man- 
kind; but also that illustrious return from heaven 
to earth hereafter to occur." This word is used six 
times in the New Testament with reference to the 
coming of Christ, and in no case can it by any 
proper interpretation be applied to any other event 
than His visible, manifest return. Just so with 
paroxism; the authorities bear out the idea that 
these words both refer to the proper return of the 
same personal Christ who went up to heaven in 
view of his disciples. The word commonly trans- 
lated "coming" in passages concerning the advent 
of Christ is erchomai and its derivatives. Thayer 
defines it, "to come; to come from one place into an- 
other, and used both of persons arriving, and of 
those returning; used of the form in which Christ 
as the Divine Logos appeared among men; and of 
the return of Jesus hereafter from heaven in maj- 
esty." 

Now how a man can apply all of these scriptures 
concerning the advent of the Son of man, the Lord 
Jesus Christ who went away to heaven, and espe- 
cially when they contain words of such definite and 
unmistakable meaning, to a thousand and one other 
things which have no connection with His person- 
ality and individuality is beyond comprehension. 
As to John 14:3, where Jesus said, "I will come 

23 



354 The Blessed Hope. 

again and receive you unto myself,*' does it not re- 
mind the reader of Matt. 24:30,31, at which place 
He speaks of coming in the clouds, and declares 
that at this time His angels shall gather together 
His elect unto Him? It also sounds like Paul's 
statement in 1 Thess. 4:17, where the Lord de- 
scends with a shout, and at the sound of His voice 
His holy ones from among both the living and the 
dead arise to meet Him, and thus is fulfilled His 
promise to "come again" and receive them unto 
Himself. There is not a passage in God's word in 
vvhich it is said that when a man died Christ came 
for him. The only case that even resembles this 
thought is the record of the death of Lazarus, who 
was borne by the angels (not Christ) to Abraham's 
bosom. 

The coming referred to in Luke is specific. It is 
not connected with the destruction of Jerusalem, 
which is described in verse 20 (of chapter 21), but 
the Master continues to descant upon the desola- 
tions of Jerusalem, and the treading down of the 
Jews, until He reaches the 24th, verse. From this 
He passes to the signs on earth and in the heavens, 
and declares that "Then shall they see the Son of 
man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" 
(verse 27). Nothing is said about His coming in 
the destruction of Jerusalem, but that is fully de- 
scribed and past before the sign of the Son of man 
and His "coming" is announced. 

Bro. Anderson says that the promised coming of 
Christ could not have been His personal visible ap- 
pearing, "because it was to be watched for by 
them," — the disciples and early Christians. 



Appendix B. 355 



He asks if we suppose that Christ and His dis- 
ciples would set people to watching for an event 
which could not happen for eighteen hundred 
years? In answer I say, Yes; and for two reasons: 
(1) As an incentive to holy living; (2) Because, 
whether we live or die, the coming of Christ is the 
goal of our hopes. Paul informs us that the crown 
of life is for those who "love his appearing." 
Hence, those who live godly lives with reference to 
His coming shall share in the rewards of that day, 
even though they shall have "fallen on sleep" prior 
to His appearing. The doctrine of the first resur- 
rection fully explains this thought. If my heart is 
devoted to His appearing, and I live till the event 
shall happen, I will be permitted to share in the 
glories of that blissful occasion by the translation, 
being called up to meet Him in the air, my mortal 
clothed upon with immortality. But in the event 
that I shall have first passed into the grave, if 
ready for His coming, I will be blest with the un- 
speakable privilege of arising and sharing in the 
Kingdom and thus escaping the terrors of the judg- 
ment at the end of the millennium. 

Our brother objects to the thought of the visible 
return of Christ being that which was promised in 
these scriptures, because it was spoken of as "at 
hand," which he says would create a false impres- 
sion. But he admits that the Revelation was writ- 
ten after the destruction of Jerusalem, and in this 
book Christ says, "Behold, I come quickly," even 
"as a thief." Now if the passages promising the 
coming of the Lord as at hand in James and else- 
where would create a false impression, so would 



356 The Blessed Hope. 

this. But evidently the Master speaks in the light 
of eternity. Measured by its countless cycles, a 
few centuries are but a day, a very short time. If 
4 'at hand," "quickly," etc., would encourage a false 
hope in the gospels and epistles, what would be its 
effect in the Apocalypse? Thus the absurdity of 
the objection is seen. It vanishes as the "baseless 
fabric of a dream." 

On Matt. 16:28 I refer to an exposition already 
given. They did see Him in His coming kingdom, 
power, and glory but six days afterward; that is, at 
the transfiguration. Read right on into seven- 
teenth chapter (1-6), with 2 Pet. 1:16-18. So some 
standing there did see Him in the glory that per- 
tains to His coming. 

There is one phase Bro. Anderson seems to have 
overlooked, namely, that the coming of Christ was 
not spoken of anywhere in connection with the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, or any other temporary 
event. In the passages referred to (Matt. 24, 
Mark 13, Luke 21) the destruction of the Jewish 
metropolis and the punishing of the descendants of 
Jacob are first depicted and pass into history be- 
fore the coming of our Lord is mentioned. Here 
we find wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, 
abounding wickedness, backsliding, false Christs, 
false prophets, and the like. All these things ter- 
minate in great tribulation. Then, we read, "They 
shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds," and 
in connection with this, His only coming, when He 
is arrayed in glory and power, His angels gather 
His elect. 

In Mark we have the same general outline. The 



Appendix B. 357 



overthrow of Jerusalem is portrayed, the abomina- 
tion of desolation is set up, the tribulation, ex- 
ceeding anything known in history, follows. Then 
4 'after that tribulation," the sun is darkened and 
"they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds 
with great power and glory." 

Luke draws a very similar picture. The wars, 
commotions, earthquakes, persecutions and opposi- 
tions of men is set forth. Jerusalem is encom- 
passed with armies and trodden under foot, and 
this continues throughout the entire Gentile period 
(verse 24), distress comes on the nations of the 
whole habitable earth, and "THEN SHALL THEY 
SEE the Son of man coming in a cloud with power 
and great glory," after which the Kingdom of God 
is set up (verses 27,31). It will be observed in 
every case the destruction of Jerusalem, the scat- 
tering and punishing of the Jews, the distress and 
sorrow of the nations culminate in the great trib- 
ulation, after ichicli the Son of man comes. With- 
out exception His coming is described as (a) On the 
cloud; (b) visible; (c) with power and great glory. 
There is nothing said about a dozen different com- 
ings, as in heathen armies and the death of saints; 
revivals of religion and chastening events; provi- 
dences and ministerial calls; simply and only a 
visible, manifest, glorious coming in clouds. In every 
record the coming is separate from the tribulation, 
which precedes it. The advent is always given as 
after the destruction of Jerusalem and the tribula- 
tion. They are not in any sense one and the same. 

Bro. Anderson would make a good gnostic. They 
deny Christ having come in the flesh, spiritualize 



358 . Tfie Blessed Hope. 

His first advent; our Florida editor denies that He 
will come visibly any time soon, and invents many 
other kinds of unrevealed comings. St. John con- 
demns the gnostics severely, because they tried to 
preach a mere spiritual coming of Christ, rather 
than a real bodily appearing (1 John 4:2). The word 
erchomai, which here refers to the coming of Christ, 
means, as I have shown, "to appear, to come be- 
fore the public." It was used by John the Baptist 
when he asked, "Art thou he that should come, or 
do we look for another" (Matt. 11:3); also by Jesus 
when He said the Son of man came eating and 
drinking (Matt. 11:19). The woman of Samaria 
said, "I know that Messias cometh, when he comes 
he will tell us all things" (John 4:25). It was used 
when it was said that "Jesus came out of Judea 
into Galilee" (John 4:54); and by the cripple at the 
pool of Bethesda, who said, "While I am coming 
another steppeth down before me" (John 5:7). 
When the multitude shouted, "Blessed is he that 
cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the 
highest" (Matt. 21:9). They used this same word, 
or its derivatives, in every case. These references 
bear out the idea of a personal and manifest com- 
ing; and in them is used exactly the word that is 
employed to announce the return of Christ. Fur- 
thermore, the title, "Son of man," and the pro- 
nouns, "He" and "Him," cannot find their fulfill- 
ment in mere abstractions. 

If we are to say that Jesus came at the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, and that He comes at the death 
of His people, what about the statements that 
"every eye shall see him," that He shall ride on 



Appendix B. 359 



the clouds, that He shall be arrayed in power and 
great glory, that He shall gather His elect from 
the four corners of the earth, that the Kingdom 
shall be then established, the crowns distributed, 
His saints rewarded and sinners punished? These 
things are constantly connected with His coming, 
and there is no reference to any other kind or style 
of coming in all the passages bearing on the sub- 
ject in which anything like detail appears. Thayer 
concedes a metaphorical use of erchomai in John 
14:3. But this cannot be, from the simple fact that 
Christ then gathers His saints to Him, which event 
occurs as set forth by Jesus and Paul in connection 
with His coming in the clouds (Matt. 24:29-31; 
1 Thess. 4:16-18). So even this exception to the 
strictly personal use of this word which Thayer 
allows, fails when we compare scripture with, 
scripture. 

The editor of the Florida Christian Advocate con- 
tends that there will be a millennium before the 
advent of Jesus to judge the world, and he has in- 
vented all these mystical, spiritual and symbolic 
comings as preceding the final advent of Jesus. 
He says, "The millennial reign of Christ is spirit- 
ual, not visible." "It is abundantly evident that 
the millennium is to close before the second coming 
of Christ and the day of judgment." Thus he has 
a thousand years of the triumph of Christianity 
through the gospel, with Satan bound and spirit- 
ual forces predominant in the present era. After 
this millennium of universal righteousness, he pic- 
tures an apostasy followed by the coming of Christ. 
So much for Anderson. 



360 The Blessed Hope. 

I would like to ask him how he explains Isaiah 
11:6-9? How can the gospel bring even the very 
animal world into a state of peace- and docility? 
How will he explain Isaiah 65:19-25? Can the 
mere prevalence of righteous principles extend life 
so much that a child shall die a hundred years old, 
and the days of God's "people be as the days of a 
tree, " while the wolf and the lamb feed together, 
and the lion eats straw like the bullock? Where 
does he find any scripture descriptive of the millen- 
nium before the advent ? 

But let us push our investigations a little fur- 
ther, consulting some inspired authorities. In- 
stead of an era of world-wide holiness under the 
gospel, prior to the coming of Christ, Daniel saw 
that the "horn made war with the saints, and pre- 
vailed against them, until the Ancient of days came 
and judgment was given to the saints." He saw 
the horn "with eyes like the eyes of a man, and a 
mouth speaking great things," and beheld this con- 
dition "until the thrones were set" and the Lord 
came with a fiery stream issuing forth before Him, 
and then the beast was slain. He saw this beast, 
the willful king, exalting himself above every God 
and prospering until the indignation or tribulation 
(Daniel 7:9,10,21; 11:36; 12:1). No time for a mil- 
lennium here, preceding the glorious advent of the 
King of kings. 

This picture from the Seer of Babylon agrees 
exactly with the vision of John in the lonely isle. 
Bro. Anderson's millennium before the advent of 
Jesus fails of the support of John. The saintly 
apostle refuses to sanction such unscriptural teach- 



Appendix B. 361 



ing. In his view of the advent heaven opens, and 
He who is called Faithful and True rides forth, on 
His thigh is emblazoned "Ring of kings and Lord 
of lords." At this time the beast is taken and cast 
alive into the lake of fire. Immediately, Satan is 
bound, the saints are raised and the millennium be- 
gins (Rev. 19:11,16,20; 20:1-6). Instead of the mil- 
lennium before the coming of Christ, and world- 
wide righteousness prevailing, John gives first the 
advent, then the destruction of the beast, afterward 
the millennium. John versus Anderson. 

According to the prophets, the apostles, and our 
Lord Himself, there is to be a time when the saints 
shall reign, when they are crowned and sit on 
thrones, but this does not occur until the Lord 
comes and the blasphemous horn, or man of sin, is 
destroyed. Crowning implies rulership, kingly 
authority. But this crowning and taking the king- 
dom appears w T hen the Son of man comes in the 
clouds, when He is manifest in His glory (Dan. 
7:13,14,18; Matt. 19:28). Paul says that our crowns 
are to be received in the day when Jesus comes; 
that is, at His epiphaneia, His glorious personal ap- 
pearing (2 Tim. 4:8). 

The time of our entrance upon the glory is when 
our Lord is manifested. The word rendered "man- 
ifest" is phanerothe, which means "to make mani- 
fest or visible;" "to expose to view." It was used 
by John with reference to the first coming of 
Christ. "The life was manifest and we have seen 
it" (1 John 1:2); thus we have this idea of visibility. 
This word was used by Paul with reference to the 
saints appearing in glory with Christ (Col. 3:4). 



362 Tiie Blessed Hope. 



Thayer says it applies to the ' 'future return from 
heaven" of Christ, that Christ is now ' 'hidden from 
sight in heaven but hereafter to return visibly." 
This is the term used also by Peter with direct ref- 
erence to the crowning of the saints, and the time 
when it shall happen is given thus: ''When the 
chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a 
crown of glory" (1 Pet. 5:4). 

Jerusalem is trodden under-foot of the Gentiles 
until their time is fulfilled. This is followed by the 
distress of nations and the failing of the hearts of 
men. "Then shall they see the Son of man coming 
in the cloud" (Luke 21 :24-27), and His saints join 
Him on the thrones (Isa. 32:1). 

I submit to any candid mind that there is no time 
for a millennium in this picture; sorrows, dis- 
tresses, anguish, then the coming. So Daniel, 
Paul, Peter and Jesus are on one side of this ques- 
tion, my dear Bro. Anderson and men of his way of 
thinking on the other. Every man to his own lik- 
ing; but I propose to follow the teachings of mjr 
Master rather than the editor of the Florida Chris- 
tian Advocate. 

The references given by Bro. Anderson (Matt. 
28:18; Col. 1:27; Eph. 3:17) have no bearing on the- 
coming of Christ. None of the words that are 
used in connection with the promise of His advent 
appear in these passages. There is nothing said of 
a k 'coming" in them, but simply a "dwelling in," an 
"abiding with,"— a presence through all the days. 
They, of course, have only a spiritual meaning. 
But when His coming is spoken of, words are used 
that carry the idea of a bodily and visible ap- 



Appendix B. 363 



proach. When He went His disciples saw Him, 
and were informed that He would come as He had 
gone, and this is the only kind of "coming" that is 
promised in the New Testament. Who can show a 
passage of scripture in which the return of Christ 
is spoken of in a spiritual sense, or at any one's 
death, or in connection with any mere individual or 
national events? His abiding with us all the days 
is not to the point. When His advent, His return, 
His coming, are referred to, it is with reference to 
His appearing in the clouds, in every case which I 
have examined, with one possible exception, name- 
ly, John 14:18, where He says, "I will not leave 
you comfortless, I will come to you." This possi- 
bly has reference to the outpouring of the Spirit, 
and yet He uses the term "that day" here in such 
sense that I am not sure that even this has exclu- 
sively a spiritual application. 

Bro. Anderson harps on Matt. 24:34, "This gen- 
eration shall not pass until all these things be ful- 
filled." I have elsewhere in these pages shown 
abundantly that the word genea does not mean sim- 
ply the people then living. I might add two or 
three testimonials to this effect: Joseph Mede, the 
great scholar and writer, tell us that the meaning 
is, "The nation of the Jews should not perish till 
all these things were fulfilled." Edward King, 
"This race of mankind, or this mode of men's ex- 
isting upon the earth in the present life, rather than 
this one particular generation, according to the vul- 
gar acceptation." Auberlen, "It means here, not 
this present generation, but this unbelieving Jew- 
ish people." Stier contends that it refers to "the 



364 The Blessed Hope. 

wondrous continuance of Israel even to the end." 
Dean Alford says, "The continued use of parercho- 
mai in verses 34 and 35, should have saved the com- 
mentators (Bro. Anderson and others, P.) from the 
blunder of imagining that the then living genera- 
tion was meant, seeing that the prophecy is by the 
next verse carried on to the end of all things, and 
that, as a matter of fact, the apostles and ancient 
Christians did continue to expect the Lord's com- 
ing." 

It is to be hoped our dear and honored Brother 
will lay aside his mystical, gnostic methods of in- 
terpretation, and take the word of God for what it 
says. Let us wait and watch and be ready at all 
times for the glorious parousia of our holy and 
blessed Redeemer. 

Shall we be like the Thessalonians, who, con- 
verted under an apostolic ministry, renounced their 
idolatries that they might serve God and wait for 
His Son from Heaven? (1 Thess. 1:10). So may 
we. 



Appendix C. 365 



Appendix C- 



"Side Tracks. 55 



Some of the brethren of the Holiness Movement 
are very uneasy over the preaching of the near 
coming of Jesus, which they are pleased to label a 
"side track." Even the National Holiness Asso- 
ciation forbids the preaching of this truth at its 
camps. The Christian Witness, official organ of that 
body, refuses to publish anything on the pre-mil- 
lennial side of this subject, which they justify by 
saying it is a question that creates division. As to 
this action, I note following points: (a) They fre- 
quently present the post-millennial view as the 
truth, (b) No one who reads the paper can fail to 
discover their leaning in the controversy, (c) They 
publish and push one or more books on the post- 
millennial side, (d) The same view crops out in 
various books from the office of The Christian Wit- 
ness Company, and in the paper. If they propose 
to evade the subject as divisive, why do they not 
cease circulating literature that attacks this doc- 
trine, so dear to the hearts of many? 

Rev. Isaiah Reid, in an effort to vindicate the 
exclusion of this question, says: "Holiness is 
always better than holiness and something else." 

Must there be no preaching at the meetings of 
the Association on any other subject than the one 
question of entire sanctification? Follow this up 



366 The Blessed Hope. 

to its logical conclusion and we will soon be for- 
bidden to preach repentance, the new birth, Sab- 
bath observance, missions, the judgment, hell, etc. 
Ah! says one, "but these are not side tracks." 
Neither is the coming of Jesus. "But why not 
leave off questions that have no importance, and 
preach those things that bring salvation?" Amen. 
The Lord's return is connected with every great 
and vital truth in the Word of God. See chapters 
"The Coming and Holiness" and "The Coming and 
Other Doctrines." It awakens men, and is thus 
connected with repentance; leads sinners to Jesus, 
and is thus connected with conversion; promotes 
Tioliness, with which it is identified by Paul and 
Peter. (See Acts 3:19-21; 1 Thess. 1:9,10; 3:12,13; 
5:23; 1 Pet. 3:7; 2 Pet, 3:11-14). 

Holiness people should be the last people in 
the world to reject the coming of Christ as a pres- 
ent possibility, (a) They profess to believe the 
whole Bible and preach a full gospel, (b) They 
have surely encountered enough of blind preju- 
dice and unreasoning opposition to not adopt the 
tactics which they have so long condemned in 
others, (c) If the sanctified ones cannot welcome 
Jesus and are not now longing for His appear- 
ing, who are ? (d) This grace prepares its pos- 
sessor to greet the King, and in turn the hope of 
His early coming promotes purity; thus the doc- 
trines are intimately connected (1 Thess. 5:23; 
1 John 3:3). (e) The holiness movement was fore- 
told by Daniel in connection with ' 'the time of the 
end" — that is, at His coming (12:9,10). I am not 
surprised at men soaked in beer, pickled in tobacco, 



Appendix C. 367 



trampling on the Sabbath and fighting the holiness 
movement, being opposed to this truth. But pro- 
scriptive tactics on lines of this kind seem out of 
place among advocates of full salvation and an 
untrammeled gospel. 

The grand apostle to the Gentiles would be for- 
bidden by the rule of the Association to preach on 
even entire sanctification from his own great text, 
1 Thess. 5:23, because he got it tangled up with a 
"side track." He could not speak on the resurrec- 
tion of the holy ones, because he connected it with 
the Lord's descent from heaven (1 Thess. 4:14-18). 
He would be forbidden to explain the man of sin, 
or the great apostasy, because he identified their 
overthrow with "the glorious appearing" of the 
Lord Jesus Christ from heaven (2 Thess. 2:1-9). 
He would be ruled out on the crowning, because he 
set the day for it as at the epiphaneia of Christ 
(2 Tim. 4:8). If he desired to set forth the glory 
to be shared by those who live the Christ life, he 
would again be out of order, as he has it also con- 
nected with the "appearing" of the Master (Col. 
3:4). " 

Turned down at every point, Paul takes up the 
question of practical godliness and zeal for good 
works, and is again declared out of order, as he 
mixes these up with the blessed hope of His "glo- 
rious appearing" (Tit. 2:13,14). Once more his 
great soul rallies and proposes a sermon on The 
Gifts, from 1 Cor. 1:7, but he is again set aside, be- 
cause his text brings up "the coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." So, though Paul is generally con- 
ceded to have been a good man, he could scarcely 



368 The Blessed Hope. 

preach at a camp-meeting under the control of the 
National Holiness Association and The Christian 
Witness, "because he has too much to say on the 
second coming, which we consider a non-essential. " 

Paul being ruled out, let us try St. John, the be- 
loved of the Master, the aged witness of Jesus. 
He opens his first discourse on "Little children 
abide in Him, that, when He shall appear,"— and is 
interrupted by Bro. Reid, or the editor of The 
Christian Witness, with, "Hold, Bro. John, you are 
out of order. We have decided that sermons on 
'when He shall appear' are divisive. Please preach 
us a sermon on Holiness only — for holiness is al- 
ways better than holiness and something else." 

The aged disciple desists, and after a moment's 
reflection begins anew; this time on a text in his 
First Epistle, 3:1-3. He moves off very well on 
Sonship, and the glory that shall follow, till his 
congregation are at the shouting point, and he cries 
out, "It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but 
we know that when He shall appear" — "Hold," 
cries a member of the association, "we cannot allow 
preaching on the second coming here." Somewhat 
discomfitted, the veteran apostle says, "Beg your 
pardon, brethren, but this rule was not in force in 
the days of my ministry, some eighteen centuries 
ago. Give me a moment for reflection and I'll try 
again." 

After a breathing spell the great-souled apostle 
opens at Revelation 1:7 and announces a new text, 
"Behold He cometh with clouds and every eye 
shall see Him" — "But hold, brethren! that is also 
on His coming." 



Apx>endix C. 369 



Turning a fe\v leaves he reads, "The kingdoms 
of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord 
and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and 
ever" (Rev. 11:15). ' 'Stop ! tha,t brings up the ques- 
tion of His reign on earth, which we have decided 
is no part of the gospel." 

John says, "All right, brethren; may I preach a 
sermon on 'Watching?" : "Certainly; there can be 
no objection to that. " ' 'Let me see, What is my best 
text on this subject ? Yes, here it is, 'Behold, I 
come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth' ' : 
(Rev. 16:15). "That won't do, Bro. John. You 
have it tangled up with His second coming." "Yes, 
so I see. Then let me try Rev. 20:6. That is strong 
on holiness. 'Blessed and holy (Amen! Amen!) is 
he that hath part in the first resurrection' " — "Hold; 
we don't accept the doctrine of a first resurrection 
here. Our Bro. Wilson has proven to our satisfac- 
tion that there is no such thing." 

"Excuse me, brethren, may I preach on 'The re- 
wards of the faithful ? ' " "Just what we want, let 
us have that by all means." "Then my text is 
Rev. 22:12. 'Behold, I come quickly; and my re- 
ward is with me, to give every man according as 
his work shall be.'" "Beware, Bro. John, of the 
second coming! That is a side track." "Well, 
brethren, I see I can not preach to please you. 
The latest word I had from my Master was, 'Be- 
hold, I come quickly.' And I love Him so I can 
scarcely preach without making it the burden of 
my discourse. I said at the time, 'Amen; even so, 
come, Lord Jesus.' I am compelled to say, my 
dear brethren, I think your new rule a mistake. 



370 The Blessed Hope. 



You had better give the world a full gospel, and 
bid them, in the language of our Lord, 'Be ready; 
for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man 
cometh.' While you exclude so large a part of His 
Word, I cannot do my best work under the auspices 
of your Association. So, adieu. My King will soon 
appear and then you will see your error. Selah! " 



y 

Aw 9 1901 



JUL 22 1901 



